


Zayn XY

by saltwatergirl



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alien Zayn, Alternate Universe, American setting, Angst, Barebacking, Bartender Liam, Bonding, First Time, Fuck Or Die, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Med Student Harry, Medical Inaccuracies, On the Run, Pining, Road Trip, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-05-05 08:23:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 22,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5368313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltwatergirl/pseuds/saltwatergirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bartender gets abducted by an alien who is being hunted by the FBI.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The story went through a few revisions post its beta-edit and if there are any glaring errors please notify me. 
> 
> Some chapters and scene breaks have a song lyric epigraph, the band/singer credits are provided in the notes at the end of each update.
> 
> A heartfelt thanks to [Equallydestructive](http://archiveofourown.org/users/equallydestructive) and [Knewkirk](http://archiveofourown.org/users/knewkirk) for the beta read.
> 
> 23 May 2016 - Sorry for long hiatus between chapters, I'll try to have the entire story up on AO3 by the end of July 2016. I should be posting updates every other week.
> 
> 22 July 2016 - I'll try & finish by the end of August.

_“So you came like a missile, falling on my head with the black sky. Think you're giving but you're taking my life away.”_

Weaver’s Bar was an average, seedy, middle of bumfuck nowhere dive situated on the outskirts of Adderley, New Mexico, a town where nothing ever happened.

 After a typical Friday night of serving drinks, Liam had closed up and was unpacking stock in the back when he heard a loud bang. It wasn’t the normal, nocturnal racket of Billy Bowers and his no-good friends getting high out of their minds and deciding that shooting coyotes in the desert was a great idea. The bang he heard was earsplitting _,_ rattling the walls, and making the liquor bottles vibrate.

_What the hell was that?_ Liam walked out of the stock room, looking around. It definitely wasn’t a car backing up - the last patron for the night had been Mr. Trail, a Vietnam War veteran who drank away his pension seven nights a week. Liam had escorted him off the premises and into a beat-up pick-up truck belonging to his grandson. Afterwards, he'd flipped the 'open' sign and dimmed the lights before he went to the stockroom to unpack bottles.

The bar was empty, its vacant tables and chairs appearing more rundown without people occupying them. The bar counter was dented and scratched from years of use while the checked tablecloths were burnt and frayed in some parts. The place looked exactly as he had left it. He thought he'd imagined the sound when- _Bang!_ There it was again.

He spun around, half-spooked. On rough nights he liked to remind himself why he’d taken the bartending job. It wasn’t to mop up vomit and break up brawls. Neither was it because he particularly enjoyed going home smelling like a brewery. All his life all he’d ever wanted was to save enough money to move to Los Angeles. When he'd gotten his G.E.D., college had not been an option as his grades sucked and he didn’t exceed at sports to be considered for any type of scholarship. Asking his parents to pay for his college tuition was out of the question.

His mom had divorced his dad when he was three, taking him and his two sisters to live in the States with her. A few years later, she'd married an alcoholic mechanic who managed to drink away all of her life savings. When the economic downturn had occurred in 2008, the bright spark had had the brilliant idea to start cooking and selling crystal meth. The DEA had busted his operation and arrested him and Liam’s mom. As for his dad, Liam had last heard from the guy when he was eleven. One of his cousins had mentioned that he’d shacked up with some chick in Wolverhampton and she’d popped out a few kids.

After leaving school, Liam had sent his résumé around until he’d gotten a waiting gig at Mr. Weaver’s Bar. With some income, he’d managed to leave home and move into a rat-infested, rent-controlled apartment in town. Four years later, the old guy was semi-retired and Liam bartended most nights of the week. When he wasn’t working at the bar, he was fine-tuning his demo and distributing it online, hoping to catch the eye of some hotshot music executive. Liam was a decent singer, better than most people, and he hoped to make a living out of it. It was a pipe dream, probably, but it seemed much better than wasting away in Adderley where nothing exciting ever-

_Bang_!  The old, framed pictures on the walls shook and the bar stools bounced. Liam raced across the room and reached under the cash register for the 9mm barrel Mr. Weaver had handed him two years back.

"Son, if something ever goes down, take this, aim it at the sucker’s chest, and pull the trigger," Mr. Weaver had said. "That should take care of it. Then call Sheriff Miller and he'll come right out."

Liam grabbed the gun and held it in unsteady hands. Cautiously, he walked around the counter, his footsteps loud on the wood-paneled floors. He peered through the glass panes of the door. The dry, desert landscape looked calm, the moon illuminating his ‘69 Mustang. He'd saved for years to buy that car, bagging groceries when he was sixteen and working at Mr. Video on weekends. Get a car and get out of town, that was his motto.  One of two wasn’t so bad, he was only a 50% failure at life. Apart from the Mustang there was nothing else out in the parking lot.

He was being jumpy, there were too many stories of weird occurrences going down around these parts. Eerie lights and noises that couldn’t be explained. Cattle carcasses found with strange carvings on their bellies. Not that Liam had ever witnessed it first hand, it always seemed to happen to a friend of a friend. Total bullshit if you asked him.  He shook his head wryly, turned around and froze mid-step.

Standing in the middle of the bar was some guy. He looked around Liam's age, maybe younger, average height, dark eyes, and dark hair with a cowlick of bleached blond hair protruding from the center of his temple.

The guy was naked.

Liam lowered the gun so it pointed to the floor, uncertain of how this guy had gotten into the bar. Maybe Betty had left the backdoor entrance open - she was always taking long smoke breaks and forgetting to lock the door. The guy was probably high or being hazed into some fraternity. He didn't appear dangerous.

"Can I help you with something?" Liam tried to keep his eyes on the guy’s face, which was difficult because the dude was nude, attractive, and hung.  He noticed the extensive, intricate tattoos the guy had on his arms and chest and how _he_ was looking at Liam as if Liam was the one who was acting weird. 

"Help you with something?" The guy echoed, blinking slowly as if he was awakening from a dream. His accent was strange, Liam couldn't place it.

"Like, with some clothes?" Liam felt odd holding onto the gun so he carefully tucked the Smith and Wesson barrel into his jeans. He made his movements slow and deliberate so he didn't scare the guy.

"Where am I?" The guy asked.

"You're in New Mexico," Liam replied. "The town’s Adderley." The guy frowned as if he didn't like what he was hearing. "Are you lost?"

_And what happened to your clothes?_ The guy didn't look like he had been injured or attacked, but there was definitely something odd about him. Liam stepped closer, the battle to maintain eye contact and not leer at the guy's junk threatening to become a losing one. Liam tentatively untied the strings of the apron he was wearing and offered it to him.

 "To cover up with," Liam clarified.

"Cover up?" He looked at Liam as if he was seeing him for the first time, his intense, dark eyes scanning up and down Liam's body. "My state of undress makes you uncomfortable."

_No shit, Sherlock,_ Liam thought. The guy took the apron and tied the strings around his neck and waist. Once he was done, he just stared at Liam who shifted awkwardly on his feet. The guy’s head pivoted towards the door, his eye’s narrowing. Liam looked over his own shoulder to see what the guy was looking at. He couldn’t see anything.

"They're coming." The guy said.

"What?" Liam returned his gaze to the stranger.

"There are three of them. They’re armed. They know I'm here."

"I don't know what you're-"

The opportunity for Liam to complete the sentence was severed like a brake line when the guy reached out a hand to Liam’s face and the world stopped.


	2. Chapter 2

_“Crossed through the universe to get where you are, travel the night riding on a shooting star.”_

Zayn crouched down to touch the human male’s face before running his fingertips over his nose, cheeks, and lips. He pressed the pad of his index finger to the human’s lower lip before pulling it down to reveal healthy, pink gums. If Zayn concentrated, he could wipe the male's memory and all the human would recall of his evening would be that it was just like any other night. Zayn closed the male’s mouth and prepared to scrub the human’s brain, only stopping when he heard the male exhale softly in his sleep.

 Zayn retrieved the human weapon from the male’s waistband and threw it aside. He scooped the male into his arms and picked him up. He stood, the male held close to his chest, and he stretched his mind out of the bar, into the quiet desert, and farther yet, to the two black SVUs speeding down a back route. The Council had warned him that once he breached Earth's hemisphere there would be people hunting him. They were right; the hunters of his kind had already narrowed down on his location and he had to leave the area before they found him.

He carried the male outside where a lone motor vehicle was parked. He approached the vehicle, willing it to unlock. He opened the passenger side and sat the male into the seat, buckling the seatbelt before going around the vehicle and climbing into the driver's side. This contraption of steel was much cruder than the hover crafts his people used to travel, but it would do.

He placed his hand over the ignition and when the motor vehicle roared to life, he eased the gear shift into one, pressed his foot down on the gas pedal, and drove onto the road, the tires skidding on the desert road, a cloud of sand forming around the vehicle.

As he drove, he glanced at the male beside him, checking his vitals to ensure that he was still healthy. Zayn knew humans were fragile and manipulating their minds, as he had the male’s, could have severe consequences. The male was dreaming. In the dream his mother was arguing with another, older male.

“I can never do enough for you. I gave you a roof over your head and you still give me lip,” the male shouted. “Tell that shit-nosed brat of yours to shut the fuck up!”

Zayn raised his right hand and rubbed the male's forehead, morphing his dream. The brown, dilapidated walls changed to an inviting cream. The shouting male vanished and so did the female’s black eye and running mascara. In the new dream, she was dressed like Barbara Billingsley in _Leave it to Beaver_ and was cooking a roast chicken dinner. The human shifted in the car seat, the furrow in his eyebrows smoothing out.

Pleased, Zayn returned his eyes to the quiet road, driving at a leisurely pace towards the well-lit center of town. Soon he pulled up into the main road and looked at the closed stores signs: 'Jeff’s Barber shop', 'Adderley Green Grocer' and 'Rage Clothing’.

He quieted the vehicle and parked it on the side of the street. He didn't want to leave the male alone, but carrying him into the shop he was about to ransack didn’t seem like a good idea. Zayn checked whether there was anyone around. Scanning the area he located a drunk sleeping in the alley behind the drug store. Half a mile from where they were, a young couple kissed in a car. They wouldn’t be a threat to the human male.

Zayn stepped out the car, the apron the male had given him billowing in the wind. He pulled off the strings and placed it on the driver’s side of the vehicle. He sped across the street, coming to a halt in front of the clothing store. He paused, sensing eyes on him. He looked up to the entrance of the shop where a camera was mounted in the corner of the walls. He switched it off and deactivated the security system. All the doors of the shop unlocked, swinging open. Zayn walked in.

The fluorescent lights flickered on and he looked around, trying to recall what he knew about human attire. Females wore skirts. They could also wear trousers. Males only wore trouser. Underneath trousers, men wore underwear - boxers or briefs. He walked to the closest rail of clothing. He picked up a pair of denim trousers with pink rhinestones. He suspected they might be for females.

He returned the jeans to their shelf, walking to the back of the store. _Men's jeans_ , a hung up sign read. Zayn pulled on one set of jeans, a T-shirt and the shoes before he gathered spare clothing, extinguished the lights, and exited the shop. He willed the doors to shut after himself as he walked out.

When he got to the motor vehicle, he glanced through the windows, checking up on the male. He was asleep, his mind quiet and dream-free. Zayn willed the trunk open and threw the items of clothing in. He climbed into the vehicle and the engine hummed to life. He buckled the seatbelt and pulled the vehicle into the quiet street.

In a few hours, he and his human would be hundreds of miles away from Adderley.


	3. Chapter 3

Special Agent Gordon Rockwell scowled at the newbie who was speaking. The kid was as green as grass, telling him they couldn't find a trace of the unidentified flying object which had been picked up by the lab geeks at the SETI Institute.

"Agent Rockwell, there's nothing out there but desert rock." The newbie gulped air, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his skinny throat. "Me and Alvarez searched the area three times. There’s no disturbance - the ground hasn't been touched."

The newbie, Agent Sheridan, or some other girly surname like that, glanced at Alvarez, who nodded in confirmation.

"We took soil samples for lab testing. Just in case, boss," Alvarez said.

Agent Rockwell shoved past them, not bothering to give those two boneheads an answer. He looked around; there were cacti plants and rock stone stretching out as far as the eye could see, but there had to be something else out here. SETI Intelligence said their monitors had started blinking like crazy a few hours ago, and then a UFO had been seen flying over New Mexico at an estimated speed of 400 miles per hour before landing in Adderley. He faced east where the horizon was beginning to turn purple, signaling the sun would be making an appearance soon.

 "What's back there?" he asked. Sheridan ran up to him, clicking away on his iPad.

"Map says there should be a bar."

"Did you and Alvarez check it out when you were canvassing the area?" Agent Rockwell asked. Sheridan's mouth opened and closed. "Never mind, I'll do it myself."

Agent Rockwell walked to his Ford Expedition and drove down the dusty road until he saw a road sign which read 'Weaver’s Bar up ahead'. He took a left at a crossroads, pulling up outside a sketchy roadside drinking hole. On a Friday night, he bet this was where all the Adderley hicks gathered.

He killed the engine and climbed out of the SUV. The bar’s cheap neon lights were switched off and the closed sign hung on the door. The parking lot had been recently vacated judging by the fresh tire tracks. He approached the entrance cautiously, pausing when he noticed the door was ajar. He hoisted his gun, switched on his penlight and kicked the door open the rest of the way, spinning around to perform a quick perimeter scan of the interior of the bar. It was empty.

On the floor, just beside the door, there was a 9mm barrel. He stepped around the gun and checked behind the bar counter, the kitchen, the storeroom, and the restrooms. The back door was wide open. He walked out and regarded the scene; over spilling trashcans, moldy cigarettes, and a mountain of beer bottles. Nothing much else. He glanced down and saw a pair of footprints. Barefoot and large with a long heel-to-ball length ratio, making them male. He’d seen the same imprints upfront.

He retraced his steps, walking out the bar to its lot and directed his penlight’s beam to the ground. The footprints in front of the bar were a size 10 and judging by depth, the owner had to be extremely heavy – around 300 pounds. Or he had been carrying a heavy load when he exited the bar.

He walked back to the rear entrance and re-examined the footprints by the back entrance. They were identical to the footprints in front of the bar but he estimated the imprint was not as deep and he would say they belonged to someone who weighed around 155 pounds. Someone had walked into the bar through its rear door and exited in the front, a hundred pounds heavier. Someone- or something.

Agent Rockwell called the scene in.


	4. Chapter 4

_“Like the drunk you convinced was sober, you keep me falling over (in the daylight). Think you're giving but you're taking my life away.”_

The first thought in Liam’s head when he awoke was that he was sleeping on a foreign bed.

The mattress was too soft and the duvet felt scratchy on his bare arms. His head throbbed like a bitch. Had he been drinking last night? But last night was a Friday, which meant he had been working. He didn’t drink while he worked, had sworn to Mr. Weaver he wouldn’t.

Liam squinted one eye open, wincing at the onslaught of mid-morning light. He was on his left side facing a single, unoccupied bed. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was closing up for the night. No, there was something else. The strange banging noise, him taking the in-case-of-emergency gun and going to investigate. Then that guy who appeared out of nowhere. Everything else was a total blank.

He had to get up and leave. But moving would be difficult since his head had morphed into a bowling ball overnight and there were needles being jabbed into his eyeballs. His stomach lurched uncomfortably as he thought of the plethora of scenarios that could have resulted with him waking up in a foreign bed with no recollection of how he got there.

"No harm came to you while you were asleep," a voice said. Liam twisted his neck around and his skull protested from moving so fast. Seated on a chair, now dressed in a black T-shirt and black skinny jeans, was the formerly naked guy from the bar.

"You drugged me?" Liam asked. His voice was as dry as sandpaper and his mouth felt like he had French-kissed a blowtorch.

"No, I put you to sleep," the guy said. Liam willed his legs and arms to respond. Some madman had abducted him. He had to get away. "I apologize for the discomfort you're feeling; you're the first human whose mind I've touched. I used too much force and your brain is re-wiring itself. The effects will fade in a few hours and there won't be any lasting damage."

_Mind I've touched._ WTF? Liam rubbed at his temple and tried to remember what had happened at the bar. He remembered handing the guy his apron. Then the guy had said - shit, Liam couldn’t remember. Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been good.

"You don't believe me when I say no harm will come to you." The guy appeared confused.

"You abducted me. Of course I have no reason to believe anything you say."

"I couldn’t leave you. People were coming; bad people."

Liam couldn't process the guys’ words, his head was pounding so hard. He gave up on trying to get up from the bed, panting weakly. He shouldn’t have put his gun away. Just look where giving someone the benefit of doubt had gotten him- in some rent-by-the-hour motel room in God only knew where. Mr. Weaver would be so disappointed in him.

##### ***

_“_ _Alone in a crowd, a missing planet. You crash to the ground, you never planned that. It just happened this way. It happened this way.”_

After Zayn had landed on Earth he had been disorientated. The cacophony of sounds, the hiss of telephone wires, creatures crying out in the desert, motor vehicles on the highway – too much noise after months of deafening silence. He’d closed his eyes and stood for a moment, taking it all in until he had heard it. A heartbeat. Human. Male. Loud. He'd followed the sound to the bar. From outside, he watched the human from the shadows.

Zayn was mesmerized by him. He’d never felt anything like it before and all he’d wanted was to get a better look at Liam. He’d stepped closer, moving out of the shadows and when Liam had turned to face him, Zayn had known he wasn’t leaving without him.

But by taking Liam with him, he was going against direct orders. The Council had advised him to avoid contact with humans, reminding him of what had happened to Lylha, the last of his kind who had visited Earth. ‘ _Stay away from humans’_ had been their final words to him when he boarded the ship months ago.

For hours, Zayn had driven Liam’s car west on Route 60, his instincts telling him to put as much space between the landing site and himself as he could. A few miles past Magdalena, the motor vehicle's dashboard light had begun to blink orange, signaling the car would soon run out of fuel. He’d had to take a turn into the nearby mining town, hoping to recharge for a few hours. Up the road was the Blue Dove Motel and he pulled up outside it.

A quick scan through the minds of the motel’s guest had him discovering a trucker who was spending the night with a transgendered prostitute. Next door to them was a student who was travelling back home after dropping out of college because she was pregnant. She was afraid of what her parents would say, but she knew she wanted to keep the baby. Zayn sensed the child was a girl. Two rooms from her were a pair of elderly sisters who were on a road trip. One was sick with a human disease, cervical cancer, and she wanted to see more of the country she'd grown up in, before she passed away. The disease was far along and she would probably succumb to her illness before she reached their final destination, New York City.

He’d exited the vehicle and picked up Liam, carrying him to the room furthest from the motel's reception area. He’d unlocked the door and remotely manipulated the motel clerk so she wouldn’t assign Room 8 to any other guests. He’d set Liam down on one of the single beds and watched Liam sleep.

“It was wrong of me to take you.” Zayn stood up and Liam’s heartbeat lurched. Zayn slowly sat back down, trying to make himself appear as non-threatening as possible. “But you called out to me in the desert.”

“What?” Liam glanced around the room. He was looking for a way out. “If you let me go I won’t call the police.” Liam lied.

“You drew me in like a magnet.”

“I don’t know you. I’ve never ‘called out’ to you.”

“Not consciously but the result remains the same, Liam.”

Liam frowned. “How do you know my name?”

“I spent the last few hours getting to know you.” Zayn had watched Liam dream, seeing glimpse of Liam’s life. The dilapidated childhood home, the crying and screaming, the frequent police visits. He’d seen it all.

“Let me go.”

“I didn’t intend on taking you. They knew we would return and they had been keeping watch.” Zayn had thought he would have more time before the watchdogs were sent on his trail. He had been wrong. “Tell me about your music.”

“Is that how you ‘know me’? From my music channel?” Liam rubbed his temple while thinking that Niall always said he shouldn’t share so much in case some sicko got the wrong idea.

“It’s your dream to be a professional singer.”

“It’s my dream not be abducted.”

“It began when you were a child, your mother would always sing to you when you were sick. Not that she did much of that, or anything at all, after she married Mike the alcoholic mechanic.”

Liam thought Zayn was a stalker. 

“I can take away the pain in your head,” Zayn said.

“With more drugs?”

“No. Despite what you’ll see, don’t scream.”

“Huh?” Liam asked. Zayn allowed himself to change. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

At least Liam didn’t scream.


	5. Chapter 5

Agent Rockwell drank cold, bitter coffee while he watched his CSI team sweep the scene. The two rookie agents the bureau had saddled him seemed confused as to how he had deduced that there was a link between the UFO sighting and Weaver’s Bar. But being sackless, pieces of shits they didn’t actually raise their concerns with him. If they had, he would’ve told them that this wasn’t his first rodeo and over the years he’d learned to trust his gut. And right now it was telling him that there was a connection, he just hadn’t found what it was yet. But he would.

He guzzled down the rest of his coffee and threw the empty cup aside. So far, they hadn't been able to get a hold of the bar's owner, a Mr. Daniel Weaver. There was no record of Weaver having staff working for him, but it was common practice in these regions to have undocumented workers. Just because the old man didn't have staff on his books didn't mean he didn't have someone running the bar for him. He approached Dana Ripley, the lead CSI investigator who was photographing the footprints behind the bar.

“What do you have for me?” He asked her.

“The footprints entering and leaving this fine establishment belong to the same person. See right here - judging by the spacing I’d place him at 5f10 in height.” She straightened up.  “He was carrying something when he exited the bar. He’s strong, the additional weight didn’t slow him down. But that’s not the most interesting part. Follow me.” She walked past the dumpster. “The suspect approached the bar from this direction. But the real kicker is that there are no additional set of footprints out here.”

She gestured down at the sand. Agent Rockwell looked down at where she was pointing before panning further out. She was right, the first footprint seemed to appear out of nowhere.

 “Is there any chance he could have covered his tracks?” He asked.

“They’d still be a sign of something.” She held his eye, her eyebrows quirked. “It’s like he fell from the sky.”

“Ripley, after all this time, have I made you a believer?”

“Well, they do say that the truth is out there. And if there’s one person who can haul it in for questioning it’d be you, Rockwell.”

Sheridan ran out of the bar, his long, goofy legs spinning comically.  “Sir, a clothing store in town reported a break-in this morning around 4am.”

Agent Rockwell’s head snapped towards him. The last time SETI had documented a UFO hovering over New Mexico, a few hours later there had been a break-in at a local Macy’s where clothing had been stolen. This was déjà vu all over again.

"Do we have any surveillance footage?” Agent Rockwell asked.

Sheridan grinned, pleased to be the bearer of good news for a change. “Yes, they do. And from what I hear, it’s right up our alley.”

“Send me the address.” Agent Rockwell nodded goodbye to Ripley and headed to his Ford Expedition and drove off.

##### ***

The owner of Rage Clothing was a woman in her mid-thirties; she was pleasantly attractive in a small-town homecoming queen sort of way. She was seated in her office, the monitor replaying the store’s security cameras from earlier that morning. Agent Rockwell stood behind her, his eyes rooted on her computer monitor.

“As I said on the phone to Sheriff Miller, this stuff’s real strange, like, weird strange.” She played the footage, its time stamp reading 4:06am. “You see that’s the footage from the camera we have in front of the store.” She pressed play. “This naked dude comes out of nowhere.” On the corner of the screen, a blurry figure appeared, walking leisurely. “He just, like, stares at the door and then everything malfunctions. The security alarm and the cameras. As I said - weird.”

The figure walked up to the front of the store, pausing before the camera flickered and the screen was filled with white static.

“The only things missing were a few items of clothing: men’s jeans, socks, briefs, and a few T-shirts. He didn’t even take any of the designer stuff.”

“May I take another look at the video, miss?” Agent Rockwell asked.

The shop-owner smiled. “Knock yourself out.”

 She stood and moved away. Agent Rockwell sat down and replayed the footage, starting the video from when the ‘man’ appeared on screen. Agent Rockwell slowed down the footage and zoomed into the figure’s face. It certainly looked human, he’d give it that. It was 5ft10 in height and it appeared young – maybe late teens or early twenties. Dark hair, dark eyes, slim build. He froze the footage at the point when the figure looked up at the CCTV cameras. Agent Rockwell recoiled from the computer screen.

“We’re taking all your copies of this video.” Agent Rockwell said quickly.

“But, I’ll need it for insurance-”

“Send us a check for the missing items. Here’s my contact details.” Agent Rockwell handed her his card. “A member of my team is going through the scene. Until they’re done, your shop is closed for business. Is this linked to a printer?” The store owner nodded. “Print me this frame.”

She diligently pressed a few keys and a second later, the printer beside her desk spat out a page, which she handed to him.

“My mama always told me that things happened around here – things she couldn’t explain, and when I saw him look up at the camera – his eyes, my lord, his eyes.” She paused, taking off the hipster glasses she was wearing, and looked at him. There were red impressions on either side of her nose and he noticed she had freckles on her cheeks. “The man in the video - the man who robbed my store – he’s not a man at all, is he?”

Agent Rockwell slipped his sunglasses on and walked out of her office and into the taped-off crime scene of the store.


	6. Chapter 6

_“I could read your thoughts, tell you what you saw and never say a word.”_

Liam watched the guy’s irises morph into a cat-like shape, the whites of his eyes turning a vivid blue _. Holy hell._ Liam shrunk back on the bed, grabbing onto the duvet covers. The drug which knocked him out must have hallucinogenic side-effects. He watchedthe guy’s eyes flicker back to normal.

“Don’t be afraid,” the guy said as he moved closer to the bed.

“Seriously, what’s wrong with your eyes?” Liam scanned around the motel room, trying to see how he could escape. The guy was between him and the key-chained door. The windows were on the other side of the single bed were too far away.

 “I’m not going to hurt you,” the guy said.

“Who are you?” Liam asked.

“I’m Zayn.” The guy spoke carefully. “I’m what humans call an extraterrestrial.”

 “As in an alien? Really?” Liam scoffed.

“Yes.”

Zayn raised his right hand and all the lights in the room flickered on and off. He glanced at the door and the key-chain freakin’ _moved_ on its own, twisting like a snake before the door slid open. Liam watched the door close and the keychain return to its place.

 “Telekinesis and telepathy are part of my skill set,” Zayn said.

Liam felt like an elaborate trick was being played on him. What kind of drugs had he been given? LCD? PCP?

“I didn’t drug you,” Zayn said.

“I don’t believe you. I also don’t believe you’re an alien.”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

“Which planet are you from?”

“You wouldn’t know it.”

“How’d you get to Earth?”

“On a spaceship. The noise you heard last night was my ship landing.”

“Where’s your ship now?”

“Hidden from the people who are looking for it and me.”

A memory sharp and bright flickered in Liam’s head. _They're coming. There are three of them. They’re armed. They-_

_“_ Know I'm here,” Zayn said. “Your memories are returning.”

“How -”

“I can listen to people’s thought the way you listen to the radio,” Zayn came to a stop at the foot of the bed Liam was on. “I’m faster and stronger than you are.”

Zayn didn’t look like the creature from Alien or those oval-headed greys from the X-files. Zayn looked like a kid Liam’s age, a senior or a junior in college. He was sort of cute. Okay, who was Liam kidding? Zayn was drop dead gorgeous. When the corners of Zayn’s lip curved upwards Liam quickly looked away, blushing.

 Liam cleared his throat. “How do you know my name?” 

“From your dreams.”

On those daytime talk-shows Liam’s mom and Mike liked to watch they frequently had guests who would talk about their real-life abduction by greys. As a kid he’d figured they were loons, now he wondered if maybe they had been telling the truth.

“Let’s say I believe you’re an alien from outer space. Why’re you on Earth?”

“I was sent on a mission.” Zayn appeared to be choosing his words carefully.

“Can you be more vague?” Liam rubbed at his temple. His head still hurt.

“I can ease the pain you’re feeling.”

“How?”

“By doing this.”  Zayn placed his warm hands on either side of Liam’s face. Liam let his eyes flutter shut. Zayn pressed his palms on Liam’s head as if he was massaging Liam’s brain from the outside of his skull. The pain in Liam’s head faded and when he opened his eyes, Zayn was watching him attentively.

“It worked,” Liam said. Zayn left his hands on either side of Liam’s face, his fingers stroking Liam’s cheeks. “You’re staring.”

Zayn blinked boyishly and removed his hands. “I apologize. I haven’t met a human before. Do you mind if I?” His hands gesticulated in the air.

Liam frowned. “Do I mind what?”

“If I examined you.”

“You want to _examine_ me?”

“I already did last night.”

“While I was unconscious?”

Zayn’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like what you’re implying.”

“You’re the one who just said that you took liberties with my unconscious body.”

“My interest in you is purely scientific.”

“So I’m a lab rat?” Liam asked. “Is that why you abducted me?”

“I took you with me because hunters were on their way to the landing site. From what I hear they tend to shoot first then ask questions later.”

“Hunters?”

“Your government knows of our existence. They have dedicated taskforces to hunt and capture my kind.” Zayn reached out his right hand. “May I?”

Liam stared at Zayn’s outstretched hand for a moment before he touched Zayn’s forefinger with his own, replicating Michelangelo’s _The Creation of Adam_. Zayn trailed his forefinger down Liam’s palm before he placed his hand palm-to-palm against Liam’s.

"Your skin is warm," Liam said.

"My kind’s core body temperature runs higher than humans." Zayn moved his hand down, encircling Liam’s wrist, like he was feeling Liam’s pulse. The hair on Liam’s forearms stood and his skin broke into gooseflesh. His body was a livewire. But instead of being electrocuted, the electricity flew through him. He could feel Zayn’s power, how Zayn’s skin vibrated with it. He should be afraid, he knew he should.

But he wasn’t.


	7. Chapter 7

Agent Rockwell left Rage clothing store and had breakfast at the local greasy spoon. It was your typical, small town diner; red and white booths, gum-chewing, overweight waitresses, and a menu that didn't leave much to be desired. He ordered scrambled eggs with a side of bacon. When the waitress took his order and left, he pulled up the picture the store owner had printed for him. His little green man was neither little nor green.

Agent Rockwell saw a heavy set figure approach his booth and looked up. It was Sheriff Miller. Not waiting for an invite, Sheriff Miller sat down opposite him and raised a hand, signaling for the waitress. When she came over, he told her to pour a cup of coffee for him. Agent Rockwell folded the image of the green man and placed it in his breast pocket.

"Howdy," Sheriff Miller said. "My officers tell me that you've been asking about Daniel Weaver."

"That's correct."

"He’s vacationing somewhere in Texas - he likes to hunt this time of year." Sheriff Miller took a sip of his coffee. "He has a kid tending the bar while he's away."

"What's the kid’s name?"

Sheriff Miller smiled. "That's not how things work around these here parts. You tell me somethin' and I’ll give you a name."

Agent Rockwell sat back. "What do you want to know, Sheriff?"

"What brings the bureau to Adderley?"

"It's classified."

"That don't tell me much."

"We're following a lead on a dangerous suspect whom we believe crossed through town early this morning and was aided by the person who was on shift at Weaver’s Bar." Agent Rockwell raised his coffee and sipped it. The sheriff looked skeptical.

"What could that fellow possibly’ve done to have the FB-fucking-I chasing him?" The sheriff shook his head. "Wait, don't tell me that 'it's classified'. Y’all don't like sharing info, do you? But luckily I'm not one who's too fussed about keepin’ things to myself.”

Sheriff Miller pulled out a folded file from his jacket and placed it on the table before he sat back and sipped his coffee.

“The kid you're looking for, name’s Payne. I don’t know none about this ‘dangerous suspect’, but I find it hard to believe that the Payne kid would have been a willing accomplice. He keeps his nose clean. "

Agent Rockwell took the file and opened it.  "He drives a ‘69 Mustang?"

"Yep."

Agent Rockwell closed the file and looked at the sheriff. "Your assistance is appreciated." There wasn't a smidgeon of sincerity in his voice.

Sheriff Miller gulped down the coffee, stood up, tipped his hat, and swaggered out of the diner.

##### ***

After the SWAT team had knocked on Liam James Payne’s door and not gotten an answer, they kicked it down. They searched the apartment room by room, rousing curious neighbors, who peered through link-chained doors to watch the show. Soon Agent Rockwell received an all-clear and walked into the apartment.

The place was messy; pizza boxes and beer bottles were strewn over the dining room table. In the bedroom, the bed was unmade, clothes were piled on a dresser and socks peeked out of drawers. This Payne kid really wasn't one for cleaning.

He walked back to the living room, went through to the kitchen, and opened it. Not much - takeaway containers and beer. He closed the fridge and inspected the items pinned to it by magnets. _On the 6th, I must visit mom_ , was written on a page in an untidy scrawl. Visit his mother where? Rockwell opened the file Sheriff Miller had handed him, reading through it quickly. Payne’s mother was serving five to ten years up at the New Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility.

"Alvarez," Agent Rockwell called out.

Alvarez stuck his head into the kitchen. "Yes, sir?"

"Put Payne on the list."

“That’s seems…extreme,” Alvarez said.

“Desperate times and all of that. Put him on the list.”

“I’m on it.” Alvarez exited the room, already pulling his cellphone out of his jacket pocket. Agent Rockwell was sorry for what he was about to do, but he’d let one of these creatures slip through his fingers before and he wasn’t about to allow history to repeat itself.


	8. Chapter 8

_“I’m the rainbow in your jail cell. All the memories of everything you’ve ever smelled. Not alone, I’ll be there. Tell me when you want to go.”_

Liam's lips were full and a cherry red. For some unknown reason Zayn found himself staring at them.  Back in the bar, when Liam had been sleeping, Zayn had touched his lips. He would like to touch them again but he thought Liam might protest.

He ran his hand down Liam’s forearm, feeling the texture of Liam’s skin, noticing how the hair on Liam’s arm was blond and fairer than the hair on his head. Liam’s biceps were firm, he must engage in muscle building activities frequently. When his fingers found Liam’s throat he felt Liam’s heartbeat spike

Zayn found himself reading Liam’s vital signs. Liam’s heartbeat was speeding up and his body temperature was rising. When Liam looked up at him, Zayn noticed his irises were dilated. Like a bucket of cold water being thrown on him, the realization that Liam was getting sexually aroused hit Zayn, he snatched away his hand and straightened.

"We need a new motor vehicle,” Zayn said.

"Excuse me?" Liam said.

“They know that you’re with me.”

“I’m not with you. I can leave anytime I want. Right?” Liam asked.

Zayn remained silent.

“Am I your prisoner?”

“I’m doing what’s best for you.”

“You have no right to make decisions for me.” Liam stood, glancing down at his bare feet. “Where are my shoes?”

“Liam-”

“I’m leaving.” Liam walked to the other side of the bed where Zayn had placed his shoes. Liam shoved his feet in them and marched towards the door. Zayn thought about speeding to the door and blocking Liam’s path. He didn’t.

“I’ll still be here,” Zayn said.

“Bye, Zayn.” Liam left the room.

Zayn tracked Liam all the way down to the parking lot. It was only when Liam was  patting down his jeans while standing next to his locked motor vehicle did Liam realize that he had left his car keys back in the motel room. Zayn could hear the thoughts running through Liam’s head. Liam was thinking about returning to Room 8 to collect his keys. Liam thought he could do it, he wasn’t afraid of Zayn. It was actually the lack of fear that creeped Liam out more than the entire abduction business.  After pausing for a long moment Liam decided against returning for his keys and headed towards the gas station.

 Zayn retained the telepathic link as Liam walked down the road. Liam was currently planning on buying something to eat then calling a male called Niall to pick him up. As he walked he kept turning back, expecting to see Zayn following him. Liam was confused. Had Zayn really let him go? Just like that? A part of him was disappointed. He entered the store, grabbed a large packet of Doritos and a can of Dr. Pepper before he walked to the cash register and set the items on the counter.

While the human male scanned the items, Liam looked up at the TV that was set in the corner and froze. There was his face splashed over the news with the words 'Adderley young man wanted by the FBI’ emblazed underneath. He glanced at the overweight male who was slowly running the items Liam had purchased through the cash register not sure what he should do.

Liam pulled out some bills from his wallet and paid. He headed for the exit, his head bent low. As soon as he was through the convenience store’s front door he started speed-walking, glancing behind to see if he was being watched. The male had gone back to reading the magazine he had open on the counter. Liam started to run, jogging down the road. When Liam returned to Room 8 Zayn was standing in the center of the room, waiting for him.

"You saw the news report," Zayn said.

"They said I'm armed and considered dangerous. Why would-” Liam ran his hands through his hair.  “They’ve made a mistake. I need to hand myself in."

"It's too late- they think I've infected you," Zayn said.

"Infected me?" Liam echoed.

Zayn walked to the window, stretching his mind. "The clerk at the store recognized you. He's dialing the number on the television. We need to leave. There isn't time to explain."

"Then make time because I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me."

Zayn sighed. He had been hoping he wouldn’t have to share this with Liam. He had known that his hunters were ruthless but turning on their own like this just to get to Zayn? That was beyond cruel.

 "The last time my kind was on Earth, humans died," Zayn said.

Liam narrowed his eyes. "Died of _what_?"

There it was; the suspicion. A frisson of fear, the realization of what Zayn was. Zayn watched the mirage of emotions play out on Liam’s face. He could listen in, hear it all but he didn’t want to.

“Lylha didn’t know the affect we have on you,” Zayn said.

“Zayn, I’m not following. Let’s start over. Who’re you talking about?”

“I’m not the first of my kind to land on your planet.” Zayn glanced at the window, the Magdalena sheriff and a back-up squad car were speeding down the highway. By his estimate they would be at the motel in five minutes. “A few years ago, someone else was sent on this mission. Her name’s Lylha.” Zayn walked away from the window stepping towards Liam. He lowered his voice, pleading. "Please, Liam. We have to go."

“No.” Liam reached for telephone on the bed-stand. “I don’t want to be a fugitive. I’m turning myself in.”

Zayn watched Liam pick the handset and dial and he was back out in the desert. All alone in the wilderness.  All alone until he had been found by a single heartbeat.

_“Liam._ ”

Liam’s head jerked up, the phone fell to the floor. He looked confused, unsure as to why he’d stopped dialing. 

“Come here.” Zayn’s voice was coaxing.

Liam walked on clumsy feet towards Zayn who nodded in encouragement. He held out his hand to Liam. 

“You want to take my hand,” Zayn said. Liam laced his fingers around Zayn’s, his impassive smile felt like shards of glass in Zayn’s heart.

“We have to leave and go far away before those men get here.”

"Yes," Liam said.

##### ***

_“Shapes of every size move behind my eyes. Doors inside my head bolted from within.”_

Liam walked out of the motel, heading towards his Mustang and unlocked it. 

"They have an all-points bulletin out on your motor vehicle." Zayn looked around the car lot before walking towards a Honda Civic. "This vehicle belongs to a man who has been embezzling funds from his company. We can take it; he’s not a good person."

Liam glanced at his Mustang. He remembered working at Mr. Video throughout his senior year to save for his car. His most prized possession he called it. But now he couldn’t remember why it had been so important to have that car.

Liam approached the Civic, intending on hotwiring it. In a blink of an eye, not only had Zayn beaten him to the door, but he was sitting inside, his hands hovering over the steering wheel. The engine roared to life. Liam climbed in the passenger’s side, shutting the door and buckling his seatbelt. Without a word, Zayn pulled out of the dusty motel lot and sped down the road, heading west.


	9. Chapter 9

_“God, tell us the reason youth is wasted on the young. It's hunting season and the lambs are on the run, searching for meaning.”_

“Neil Horan.” Agent Rockwell read from his file. The bleached blond wanna-be surfer, seated opposite him grinned dopily at the camera mounted on the table, appearing far too happy for someone who had been called in for questioning on the whereabouts of a wanted suspect.

“It’s Niall,” the kid said through Colgate white teeth. “The name’s Irish.”

Agent Rockwell had interviewed Payne’s sisters earlier that day. Not that those broads had said much. They were convinced that their baby brother was a saint, who was incapable of committing a federal crime. After answering a few questions they had stonewalled. He was certain that they didn’t know anything pertinent to the case so he’d let them leave. Sheriff Miller had brought this clown in after that, apparently blondie and Payne were as thick as thieves.

“Do you know why you’re here, Niall?”

“I figured it’s somehow related to Liam.” The kid swung on his chair. “He's wanted or something.”

“Where’s Liam?”

“I don’t know. He didn't tell me he’d be leaving town.”

“You two are close, huh?”

“We've known each other since kindergarten.”

“Are you gay?”

“How is that relevant to the case?”

Agent Rockwell pressed his index finger to his temple briefly before he stood up. He reached for the video camera switching it off, watching as its red blinking eye faded. With deliberate movements he dragged a chair to the door, jamming the handle before he took his jacket off. Rockwell removed his gun from his holster and checked the chamber. It was fully loaded.

“Let’s try this again.” Rockwell placed the gun on the table, barrel facing Niall.

“Are you gay?”

Niall sat up straight, his eyes on the gun. “No.”

“Is Liam gay?”

“He fools around with guys. I don’t judge, it’s cool – love wins.”

“Have you seen this _person_ before?” Agent Rockwell pushed the open file towards Niall. It was a still image from the Rage store’s security video. Niall glanced down at the photo.

“No,” Niall said after he’d studied the picture. There was a loud knock on the door _.  
_

Agent Rockwell ignored the knocking. “Are you sure? Take a real good look.”

“Open the door!” Sheriff Miller shouted from outside.

Niall blinked rapidly, staring at the picture. He was about to speak when the door flew open, the chair flew backwards, crashing on the floor. Sheriff Miller barged in, his face ruddy with indignation.

“What in Christ’s name do you think you're doing?” The sheriff glanced at Niall. “Get out of here, kid.” Niall bolted out of the room. “This is not how we do things.”

“I don't give a shit.” Agent Rockwell grabbed his jacket and gun, walking out. There were rent-a-cops standing in the middle of the Sheriff’s department, giving him cow eyes. Agent Rockwell shoved past them and exited the building. He was headed towards his car when he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Niall jogging towards him.

“I remember something,” the kid said.


	10. Chapter 10

_“Let's play the metal music slow, leave the car on the highway and go. Nobody needs to know another universe.”_

They were driving on the desolate stretch of Route 60, between Magadalena and Datil.   The straight two lane highway cut through the Plains of St Augustin and was bracketed by wide-open desert on either side. Just beyond the edge of the horizon were the dusky slopes of the Tularosa Mountains. There was nothing much on this span of road, just miles and miles of gravel, dust and tumbleweed. In the past fifteen minutes the only car to overtake them was a truck with workers. It was risky, taking the highway, but Zayn had said the alternative was to drive through 50 miles of dirt road to get where they were going.

“Which is where, exactly?” Liam asked. He had the car window down, his arm stretched out, enjoying the feel of the breeze on his skin. The Civics’ air conditioner didn’t work and this was the only way he could think of to stay cool. Not that it was helping much, he’d sweated through his T-shirt and was acutely aware that he had been wearing the same clothes for over 36 hours.

“The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array,” Zayn said. Liam noticed how Zayn hadn’t even broken out in a sweat. He looked comfortable in his black T-shirt and jeans, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the window.

“What’s at the VLA?” Liam asked.

“Twenty-two antennas which gather radio waves from outer space,” Zayn tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he spoke. “I need access to the computers that they are linked to, in order to send out a signal.”

“You want to break into the VLA?” Liam watched the dusty horizon speed past. He was already a fugitive, so what was a little breaking and entering into a government facility?

“Your blood sugar's low.” Zayn said, interrupting Liam’s thoughts.

“What?” Liam asked.

“There's a diner not far from here.” Zayn took a left at a gravel road “We can stop there and get you food.”

They drove for 7 miles before pulling up in front of the Jolly Molly. The diner was painted pink and green and its logo was of a grinning red-headed woman. Parked in the lot was a beat up pick-up truck. Liam wondered how the diner made any money, it literally was in the middle of nowhere.

“There are two men eating inside.” Zayn killed the engine. “The staff is made up of a waitress and a short-order cook. They won’t recognize you.”

They got out of the car, walked across the gravel entrance and entered the greasy spoon. Its interior wasn’t much, decorated with the same gaudy pink and green paint as its exterior. The men Zayn had mentioned were seated at the counter, scoffing down gravy and biscuits by the mouthful. Zayn and Liam sat in a booth in the back and the waitress approached their table setting down two weathered menus.

“Howdy, welcome to the Jolly Molly,” she smiled broadly, all red lip-gloss and pink chewing gum. “While you read through the menu can I get you a drink? Our ice-cream floats are the best in the state.”

“I guess I’m having a cola ice-cream float,” Liam said as he opened the menu, reading through the meal options.

“And you, handsome?” The waitress asked Zayn who was frowning as he looked at his copy of the menu.

“He’ll have the same,” Liam said.

“Alrighty, I’ll be back to take your orders.” She walked off.  

“I think the belly buster burger with a side of fries should hit the spot.” Liam watched Zayn close the menu. “You’re not going to order?”

“I'm not hungry,” Zayn said.

“You do eat, right?”

“Of course I eat. I’m not a robot.” Zayn glanced down at his closed menu, grimacing. “The food doesn’t look appetizing.”

“That’s the best part of being on the road; the shitty food.”

“I’ll just take your word for it.”

“What’s the plan for tonight?” Liam asked.

Zayn sat back on his chair looking thoughtful. “Making contact.”

“You need to call home?”

“Not home, my ship. I’ve lost contact with the AI on board.”

The waitress returned and set their drinks on the table. Liam ordered the belly buster burger. Once she had his order down she glanced quizzically at Zayn, who shook his head. Liam swirled the ice-cream around with his straw before sipping the syrupy drink. Zayn merely looked at his meal like it was a rodent he had to dissect.

It was easy when they were seated like this, in a booth of a crappy diner drinking diabetes in a glass, for Liam to pretend that Zayn was a regular guy and they were out on a date. To pretend there was no police and FBI agents on their trail and that his only concern was whether or not he'd have the courage to invite Zayn back to his place afterwards.

But Zayn wasn't normal and Liam was a fugitive.

Back when they had been at the Blue Dove Motel, he had wanted to call the police. Liam remembered picking up the dial, Zayn had called out his name and then everything had shifted. Liam hadn't wanted to do anything except to stay with Zayn. He had changed his mind. He'd _had_ to. That was the most obvious reason. Occam's razor and all of that. There was nothing more to it.

"What’s the plan for tonight?” Liam asked. “Wait until lights out at the VLA and then sneak in so you can use one of the computers?"

"Something like that."

"You're not very forthcoming with information," Liam observed.

Zayn crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "What do you want to know?" The waitress returned and placed Liam’s order on the table.

"One belly buster burger," she turned to Zayn. "Sweetie, you sure you don't want anything?"

"I'm sure," Zayn said.

She gave a 'suit yourself’ shrug and walked to the counter to refill the other two customer's coffee. Liam poured ketchup on his fries. Zayn sat back on the booth, watching him. Liam held out a French fry. Zayn shook his head.

"I want to know," Liam said, he paused. _Why are you here? Why did you take me? Am I your prisoner? Are you listening to my thoughts this very second?_ Zayn's face gave nothing away. "If this breaking and entering at the VLA will result with anyone getting hurt?"

"It'll be over before they even know there’s been a breach in their security," Zayn said. "No one will get hurt."


	11. Chapter 11

Agent Rockwell lit up a cigarette, exhaling as he waited for the all clear from Ripley’s team, who had taped off the Blue Dove Motel. The commotion had drawn an audience. He watched them filming him from the other side of the yellow tape. They were murmuring amongst themselves. Not that their idle gossip mattered. Tomorrow there would be an article in the small, locally run newspaper on page 3, stating that the Blue Dove Motel had been affected by an underground toxic spill from a nearby mine.

His green man was in the wind. The Magdalena lead was cold and Agent Rockwell didn’t know where else to look. Payne was the clue. What part did he play in all of this? When Ripley walked out of the building in her biohazard suit, the murmuring from the crowd grew louder. She took off her mask, revealing her gleaming face.

“I’m dying in this thing.” She wiped at her forehead.

“Will I need one of those space suits?” Agent Rockwell dropped his cigarette and crushed it with the heel of his shoe.

“No, the room tested negative.” She leaned against the Escalade. “You can go right in. I’ll catch some air out here.”

Agent Rockwell thanked her and walked toward the building. The Blue Dove Motel wasn’t much to look at, it was painted bright blue, was ugly as sin and one of the hundreds of low rent motels that serviced the interstate. But unlike the hundreds of the other motels; it boasted a 100% verified Liam Payne sighting.

Earlier that day, Payne had visited a nearby gas station. The checkout clerk had only recognized him after he had left and had immediately called the police. But by the time the police arrived, Liam Payne and the ‘man’ he had been with had stolen a car and driven off.

Agent Rockwell pushed Room 8’s door open. There was one female agent who was lifting fingerprints from the bathroom door, she looked up at him before continuing. Agent Rockwell paused, taking the room in. There were two single beds, one had rumpled sheets and one looked unused. Someone had moved the chair from the desk to the window. He presumed it was his green man. Agent Rockwell went to the chair and sat down. It was faced towards the bed. That was where Payne had slept, while the alien watched him. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his notepad.

 _“_ I remembered something.” The Horan kid had said to him outside the Adderley Sheriff’s Department.

"Spit it out, I don't have all day." Agent Rockwell had replied. The kid had chewed his bottom lip, looking indecisive. Agent Rockwell remembered what his mother used to tell him, _‘Be nice Gordie, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.’_ He laid a hand on the kid's shoulder. "Look, what I did back in the interrogation room was wrong. This case is getting to me. The suits back in DC want it resolved as quickly as possible. I know you're only looking out for your friend."

"Liam didn't do anything wrong," The kid said.

"Let’s bring him in and find out. Maybe there has been a mistake or he's fallen in with the wrong crowd. The bottom line is, we won’t know until we talk to him. What did you remember?"

"He used to date this girl back in high school, Sophia."

"You said he was gay."

"Back then he was mostly into girls. Or in the closet, I don't know. They broke up senior year and she went off to college. I saw on Facebook that she's studying at Penn State. He might go to her for help, they were really close."

Agent Rockwell patted Niall's left shoulder. "What's her last name?"

"Smith." Niall looked up at Agent Rockwell with watery eyes. "Liam will be okay, right?"

"The charges against him are serious. But if he is innocent I'm sure the truth will make itself known soon enough." Agent Rockwell had said goodbye to Niall and driven out to Magdalena.

The Blue Dove Motel receptionist had no recollection of seeing either Liam or his travel companion. He reckoned if he interviewed all of the other guests on the floor no one would recall seeing them. The 2009 case had produced similar testimonies, witnesses with fractured memories and missing time. Witnesses who did things they had no recollection of wanting to do. Witnesses who said they felt like they were being controlled by something.


	12. Chapter 12

“It will be nightfall soon.” Zayn said as they walked out of the Jolly Molly. His vision blurred and his hand missed the car handle when he reached for it. He was keenly aware of Liam watching him, concerned.

“Did you sleep last night?” Liam asked.

“No.” Zayn hadn’t felt the need at the time.

“Sorry to break it to you but you look like shit. I’m driving.” Liam walked around the vehicle, climbing into the driver’s seat. He waited for Zayn to climb in before he hotwired the car and they pulled out of the diner’s lot.

Zayn let his mind roam ahead of the car. There was a family of five driving in a Land Rover on their way to a family trip. The mom was secretly upset with the dad because he had been delaying the vacation for months and when he finally agreed to it she had been left with all of the planning. The dad had recently learned that the company he was working for was laying off staff and at he was one of the people that were going to be retrenched. The dad thought at 58 he was too old to look for a new job.

Further down the road, there was a state trooper on a motorcycle eating a donut. He wouldn't notice Zayn and Liam drive by. When Zayn was sure there were no other threats to him and Liam, he allowed himself to relax. And without meaning to, he tuned into Liam’s frequency. _-couldn’t be. There’s **no** other explanation. You’ve seen what Zayn can do. It’s not like’s it’s out of the realm of possibilities. I was going to call the police. Why didn’t I? _

Liam glanced at Zayn, he briefly thought that the stripe of blond hair on the center of Zayn’s head had gotten larger. Maybe it could wait. Zayn looked like he was sleeping-

“I’m awake.” Zayn spoke without opening his eyes.

“Do you already know what I want to ask you?”

“Yes.”

“Back at the motel I was going to call the police,” Liam began. Zayn switched off Liam’s frequency. He didn’t want to know what thoughts would run through Liam’s head when Liam received the answers he was looking for.

“Were you controlling my mind?” Liam asked.

Zayn winced at the flatness in Liam’s voice. “I was influencing your decision making process.”

“Let’s not put syrup on shit and call it a pancake.” Liam’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Were you _mind-controlling_ me?”

“We had to leave and you were going to hand yourself-”

“Zayn, answer the goddamn question. It’s a simple yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“Was that the first time you’ve done it?”

“No.”

“When else?”

“In the bar, when we met. I lowered your inhibitions and made you unafraid.” Zayn recalled how he had manipulated Liam’s mind. _I’m a kid, just like you_ , he had projected into Liam’s frontal lobe and Liam had seen Zayn as non-threatening, lowering the firearm he had held.

“Just – Zayn, I don’t want to be a puppet.” Liam glanced away from the road. Zayn wouldn’t meet his eyes. “You can’t manipulate me like that. It’s wrong.”

“Pull up ahead,” Zayn said.

“Why?” Liam asked.

“Please.” There must have been something in his tone because Liam pulled up to the side of the road. He didn’t kill the engine, letting it idle. It’d be dark out soon, the lone most motorist driving on the road had his lights on. He overtook their car, his rear-lights casting them in red lighting momentarily. Zayn stared down at his hands, buying himself some time. He couldn’t look at Liam, he would lose his courage if he did.

“There were times I thought I wouldn’t make the journey. There was an option to take my cryogenic sleep but I was afraid that something would happen while I was unconscious. For months, it was just me in the dark, speeding through time and space. It was-”

_Lonely_. But loneliness didn’t seem like an adequate excuse for what he had done. Liam had been branded an outlaw and was now being hunted by the same men that were after Zayn. Any words of apology were inadequate for Zayn’s selfish actions.

“I'll disembark here and continue on my own,” Zayn finally dared to look at Liam.

Liam’s eyebrows were drawn tight, his expression grave. “You want to leave me behind?”

“Take the car and drive to the nearest police station. When the hunters arrive they’ll hold you for few days but they’ll soon see that you’re not-” _Infected_ was the word Zayn wanted to use. But he’d steered Liam away from that line of questioning once. He didn’t want to lie to Liam again. “They’ll see that you’re not a threat.”

“No.” Liam shook his head. “I'm staying with you.”

“Liam-”

“I'm already a fugitive.”

“You’re just going to throw your life away?”

“There isn’t much to throw away. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but I was pretty much going nowhere slowly.”

“What about LA and your future Grammy? _Get a car, get out of tow_ n?” Zayn asked. Liam glanced at Zayn, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, I heard that. You daydream too loudly.”

“I am out of Adderley.”

“Not out of your own volition."

"It's too late now to have an attack of conscience. The die has already been cast, you decided that when you walked into my bar." Liam pulled the car onto the road, switching the headlights on. "Were you responsible for Roswell?"

"No, we first arrived on Earth in the seventies."

"Are there other intelligent life forms beside your people?"

"Yes."

"Are they like you?"

"What do you mean like me?"

"Benign?"

Zayn threw Liam a smile before looking back at the road. Liam certainly had selective memory, he seemed to have forgot the part where Zayn had said he was considered a threat by the US Government. "You think I'm benign?"

"If your people wanted to colonize Earth I'm sure they would have sent more than just one kid."

"I'm not a kid." That earned Zayn a long side-glance from Liam.

"How old are you?" Liam asked.

"Much older than you."

"By how many years? Ten? _Twenty?_ "

"Time doesn't work the same way in my planet as it does here on Earth." Zayn could see the telescopes along the highway, pointing skyward. The antennas were 83 feet in diameter and weighed in at 230 tons. “Drive off the road.”

Liam veered off the road, driving onto the plain.

“Turn the headlights off.” Zayn said. Liam did as he asked and they drove in the near dark. When they were close to the fence, Zayn spoke. “Stop the car. Stay here, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Zayn reached for the car door. He felt Liam’s hand on his arm.

“Zayn, wait.” Liam said. “I thought, I was coming with you.” There were too many cameras on the site and while Zayn would be able to easily circumvent them to avoid detection, Liam would not.

“It’s too dangerous.”

“How do you know I won’t just drive off?”

“I don’t know,” Zayn said.

Liam leaned in closer, inches away from Zayn’s face, his eyes flickered down to Zayn’s mouth. “You could always persuade me to stay.”

_‘Keep away from humans’_ , Zayn had been told. Why did he always have to break the rules? Why did he always want the wrong thing? Liam had no idea how dangerous Zayn was. The hunters, they knew.

“I’m not going to _persuade_ you to do anything. If you want to leave, leave.” Zayn exited the car before speeding across the desert. He easily leapt over the fences, running so fast the world blurred around him. He hacked the passcode and entered the building in a side entrance. He found a vacant workstation and logged onto the computer.

Within a few minutes he found what he was looking for. He logged off and exited the building, sped through the field and back over the fence. He returned to the Civic, finding Liam just as he had left him.

“Success?” Liam asked.

“Yes.”

##### ***

They had been driving through the back roads for hours. Zayn was asleep on the passenger side, Liam glancing at him occasionally. Zayn had looked like he needed a decade or two of rest and Liam was glad he had finally been able to nod off. With Zayn sleeping, Liam was worried they would drive straight into a roadblock, so when he a saw a sign for the Gila National Forest, he took the off-ramp. He drove on a quiet stretch of road until he saw one of the park’s tourist maps. Liam stopped the car and got out to check where they were.

“There's a cabin two and half miles from here,” Zayn said from behind him.

“Jesus, you scared me.” Liam pressed his hand to his chest willing his heart to slow down. “I thought you were asleep.”

“It’s beautiful out here,” Zayn said softly.

“Yeah, it is.” Liam shoved his hands into his jeans, tilting his head back to take a look at the night sky. It was cloudy with minimal stars. “You came down from up there.” He felt Zayn step closer to him, their shoulders brushing as Zayn tilted his own head upwards.

“Yes.”

Liam closed his eyes and breathed in. “What's your planet like?”

“It's different from Earth - the plants, the wild-life. We have four suns and two moons, our days last for 87 hours.”

“It sounds like something.”

“It is.”

Zayn walked back to the car, Liam following after him. Zayn drove them down the road and just like Zayn had described, there was a cabin at the end of it. Zayn killed the engine and they both got out of the car. Zayn walked in front of Liam, his face alert as he looked around.

“Anything?” Liam asked.

“There isn’t a single human for miles.” Zayn unlocked the cabin’s door and the lights lit up on their own. Liam didn't think he'd ever get used to that trick.

Zayn walked inside, Liam following after him. The cabin smelled dank as if it hadn’t had a person in it for ages. The table and couches were coated with dust but Liam didn't care. He was tired and he just wanted to be horizontal for a few hours. He found the bedroom and collapsed onto a musty smelling bed, closing his eyes.

“There's some food in the refrigerator,” Zayn said. “I could make something for you to eat.”

When Liam opened his eyes he found Zayn lurking at the doorway. “You know how to cook?”

“I can fly a starship, I'm sure I can figure it out.”

Liam hiked onto his elbows, “Is that humor? Did they program you to be funny?”

“Once again, I’m not a robot.”

“No, you're just an alien from another planet.” Liam patted the space beside him on the bed. “Come here.”

Zayn walked into the room, coming to a standstill at the foot of the bed. Liam rolled his eyes and sat up, pulling Zayn by both arms onto the bed. Zayn fell forward onto the bed.

“I don't think we should-”

“Shh,” Liam wrapped his arms around Zayn and pulled him into his arms. Zayn's body was tense. “Relax. I just want to give you a hug.”

Zayn looked up at him, his eyebrows furrowing. “Why?”

“You’re hot – no reason required.” Liam brushed Zayn's face with his hand, when he saw Zayn's hair he frowned. “I swear the blond stripe's gotten larger.”

Zayn self-consciously touched his own head, patting the area where the blond stripe was. He dropped his hand and looked at Liam. “Should I close my eyes?”

“Yes.”

Zayn closed his eyes and rested his head against Liam's chest. Without thinking Liam began singing. “ _You think I'd leave your side, baby. You know me better than that. You think, I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees. I wouldn't do that.”_

When he reached the end of the song Zayn spoke. “That’s beautiful. Sing something else to me.”

And Liam did.

##### ***

Zayn took inventory of his own physical state; the blurred vision, the insomnia and the lack of appetite. Lylha had described the same symptoms to the physicians who had treated her. Which meant soon he would have to - he pressed his hands to his temple. But not right now. Because right now Liam was singing to him and Zayn could stay in this moment forever. Zayn pressed his cheek to Liam’s chest. He briefly wondered what the Council back in his home planet would think if they saw him now. Liam finished the song.

“What are you thinking?” Liam asked.

“I like it here on Earth,” Zayn said. Out in space, he’d grown accustomed to the silence. To muteness and zero gravity. Once he was done with his mission he would embark on the journey back home, back to the solitude and stretching darkness. Liam was running his fingers through Zayn’s hair.

“Is this what you really look like?”

“Would it disturb you if it wasn’t?”

Liam shook his head. “I think I’d like you no matter how you look.” Zayn tilted his head to the side. Liam quickly said. “Are you reading my mind?”

“I’m trying not to.” Zayn replied. He knew it was an invasion of privacy. There were boundaries that needed to be maintained.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Liam reached his hand and placed it on Zayn’s cheek. The simple touch made Zayn’s heartbeat spike and his breath catch in his throat. _Remember Lylha_. He caught Liam’s hand and held it away from his face.

“Don’t.”

“Sorry,” Liam said. Zayn held onto Liam’s hand for a fraction of a second too long before he released it. He got off the bed and walked out of the bedroom.

##### ***

Liam watched Zayn go before he lay back on the bed, covering his face with his hands. Shit, he had to get a grip. He couldn’t keep crowding Zayn the way he was doing. It was obviously making Zayn uncomfortable. But he couldn’t help it. The more time he spent around Zayn, the more he felt like there were these invisible chords pulling him and Zayn together. _You drew me like a magnet_ , Zayn had said.

Liam heard movement in the cabin’s kitchen and got up. In the kitchen, Zayn had unpackaged frozen chicken. Liam leaned against the door frame and watched him.

“Why are you pushing me away?”

“I’m not pushing you away.” Zayn flicked the stove on and placed a pan on it.

“Yes, you are. Every time I get close to you, you literally move away.” Liam walked into the kitchen, stopping right in front of Zayn, trapping him with his body against the kitchen counter. Liam stepped closer until they were face to face. “You want to move away.”

“You’re the mind reader now?” Zayn scoffed.

“I don’t have to read your mind to know what you’re thinking.” Liam reached for Zayn’s right hand and placed it over his own chest. “And you don’t have to read mine to know what I’m feeling.”

“Liam-” Zayn looked at Liam’s hand, splayed on his chest.

“I’m drawn to you.”

“It’s not real. I must’ve-”

Liam leaned in and kissed Zayn.


	13. Chapter 13

“You’re not a churchgoer,” Pastor Kyle Sealy told Agent Rockwell.

“What makes you think that?” Agent Rockwell asked.

“I have a sense for this type of thing,” the pastor said. He raised a teacup to his lips and sipped. Agent Rockwell resisted the urge to glance at his wristwatch. He’d been at the pastor’s Soccoro home for twelve minutes and the pastor had yet to mention why he had called the hotline.

“Pastor, Agent Alvarez said you have some information pertinent to our investigation,” Agent Rockwell coaxed.

“Yes, I do,” the pastor said.

“And what is it?”

The pastor gave him a level-headed look. “Were you always an atheist?”

“No,” Agent Rockwell said stiffly.

“Why did you lose your faith?”

“I’ve seen too much.” Agent Rockwell was aware his tone was hard but he hadn’t driven all the way from Magdalena to make idle chit-chat with a small town pastor. Agent Rockwell set his teacup down. This old, blithering bible-thumper didn’t seem capable of controlling his own bowel movements let alone having a valid lead on his case. “What information do you have?”

“My nephew was one of the victims of that thing,” The pastor said.

“What thing?”

Pastor Sealy narrowed his eyes. “Don’t play coy with me, Agent. I’m not one of the townsfolk you can coddle. We both know what’s happening in that town is not of this world.”

Agent Rockwell nodded. At last the pastor had said something that they could both agree upon. “What do you know about it?”

“My nephew Danny fell prey to it six years ago.” The pastor got up and walked to the entertainment unit. He picked up a frame of smiling young man. Agent Rockwell recognized the face; Daniel Moss. Victim 7 from the 2009 case.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Agent Rockwell said.

“And now that creature is back.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Allison Tanner attends my church. She showed us the tape of the break-in at her daughter’s store.” So much for the Rage shop owner giving the Bureau all the copies of the security footage. The pastor set down the picture of his nephew. “Agent Rockwell, I’ll tell you what I told my congregation this morning.”

“And that is?”

“Demons walk amongst us.”

Agent Rockwell raised an eyebrow. “Demons?”

“That’s right. Have you heard of a succubus?” Pastor Sealy walked to the bookshelf in the corner of the room, pulling an old book from it. He returned, placing it on the coffee table. He opened a book marked page and read out loud.

“ _Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”_ He closed the book and looked at Agent Rockwell.

“That’s what this creature does. It lures men and women into intercourse and kills them. Danny said so himself on his death bed. He was a good boy, lost his way in college but he had reformed. Hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol in years. He said he saw a girl at the mall, she walked up to him, one brush of her hand against his and the next thing he knew he was headed back to his car to engage in sexual intercourse. He said during the sex her eyes changed. He grew ill and died a few days afterwards. This thing, this demon is a sign. _I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death-_ ”

“As much as I’d like to sit and listen you recite the entire bible I have to leave.” Agent Rockwell stood. “Thanks for the tea.”

Pastor Sealy started to shout. “First, the devil gets a toehold, and then he gets a foothold, and then he gets a stronghold!”

Agent Rockwell walked out of the house, the nutjob’s voice following him all the way to his car. _What a fucking waste of time,_ he thought _._


	14. Chapter 14

After dinner, Zayn stayed in the cabin’s small living room watching television. Liam had retired in the bedroom. Zayn wished he could also switch off and sleep but he couldn’t. His mind and body were restless and he kept raising his fingertips to his lips, remembering the kiss. He reclined on his back on the couch, staring at the log paneled ceiling.

Liam had kissed him and Zayn had liked it. Zayn shouldn’t have allowed the kiss, he should have moved, pushed Liam aside. Zayn closed his eyes, his hands still on his lips as he traced them. They felt soft and full under his fingertips. He ran the pad of his fingertips down his throat, feeling the bristle of stubble. When his index finger touched the fabric of the T-shirt he wore he got up and pulled it off, throwing it on the floor. He continued running his hands down, over his pectorals, his stomach, stopping when he reached the waist band of his jeans.

He clenched his hands into a fist and breathed slowly. This wasn’t good. Liam was in the other room. Zayn dropped his hands away from his body and stood, swaying when too much blood rushed to his head, and his vision blacked for a second. He staggered out of the living room into the bathroom, where he switched on the lights and stared at himself in the mirror above the sink. His complexion was grey and the skin under his eyes was bruised. He gripped the basin and looked down at himself. The black jeans he wore were tented at the crotch by his erection. Zayn ran cold water and washed his face.

He dried his face with a cloth before he unbuttoned his fly and yanked down the zipper. He freed his erection from the flap of his underwear and stared at it. He understood how sex worked, he just never had it. He wrapped his right hand around his erection, sliding it up and down. It felt good. He bit his bottom lip and worked his hand faster, rubbing at his cock. He was so engrossed at trying to climax he didn’t realize Liam was in the room until he heard Liam speak.

“Zayn.” Liam said from behind him.

Zayn guiltily covered his groin and glanced at the bathroom door where Liam stood, hair mussed and blinking away sleep. Liam’s eyes lowered to Zayn’s crotch. His cheeks colored.

“I’m sorry- I shouldn’t have -” Liam gave up on speaking and turned around, exiting the bathroom.

Zayn tucked his erection away, zipped the jeans up and followed Liam to the bedroom where Liam had sat on the bed.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have disturbed you. I heard sounds and I thought you were hurt.” Liam appeared to find the floral design of the duvet fascinating.

“I was-” Zayn stopped, thinking it was quite apparent what he had been doing.

Liam glanced up at him. “Have you jerked off before?”

Zayn shook his head.

“Was it because I kissed you?”

“I shouldn’t have let you do that,” Zayn said.

Liam studied Zayn’s face. “You look pale.”

“I’m tired. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Stay. There’s plenty of space on the bed.”

Zayn shook his head and walked back to the living room. He sat down on the couch, leaning down to pick up his T-shirt and slipping it on.

“Zayn,” Liam said.

Zayn looked up to find Liam standing at the doorway with two blankets. “In case you get cold.” Liam placed the blankets down. He lingered. “I don’t want you to feel embarrassed about me walking in on you.”

“I’m not,” Zayn crossed his arms, staring at the television set as he waited for Liam to leave. Liam lingered for a moment longer before he returned to the bedroom.

Zayn switched the television off and sat in the dark. He was spiraling, and the only constant, the only thing he could hold onto was Liam. It was just like it had been when he had arrived. He picked up the blanket and entered the bedroom where Liam was lying on the bed, facing the door. Liam lifted the side of the duvet and Zayn climbed in.

##### ***

The next morning, Liam woke up to find Zayn beside him. He watched him for a moment, taking in the stubble on Zayn’s cheeks and chin, the shape of his lips, the shadow of his eyelashes on his high cheekbones. Liam quietly got out of bed, used the bathroom, brushed his teeth and showered before he made breakfast. He returned to the bedroom.

“Zayn, wake up.” He shook Zayn’s shoulder, a feeling of there being something wrong was overcoming him. Zayn opened his eyes, they were red-rimmed. Liam ran a hand through Zayn’s now mostly blond hair. “Are you sick?” Liam asked.

Zayn slowly sat up. “We can’t stay here – we need to get back on the road.”

“Let’s have breakfast first,” Liam said.

“I need to shower.” Zayn replied. He got up and walked out of the bedroom. Liam noticed a strand of black hair on the pillowcase, he brushed it aside and went back to the kitchen to serve breakfast.

##### ***

Zayn spent a long time in the bathroom and by the time he walked into the kitchen the food Liam had prepared was cold. Zayn didn’t seem to mind, shoveling it into his mouth in quick succession.

Liam had already packed they bags and carried them to the car so after Zayn finished eating they climbed into the Civic and started driving. They had been driving for an hour when he heard Zayn gasp. Alarmed, Liam glanced at him.

“Zayn!”

Zayn was unconscious, his head lolling forward on his chest. Liam pulled up on the side of the road, switched the car off and leaned across his seat.

“Zayn, can you hear me?”

Zayn eyes were tiny slits. He opened his mouth, but no words came out at first. Liam leaned in closer so he could hear him. “Leave.”

“You want me to leave you?” Liam asked. Zayn nodded. “I can’t do that. You’re sick.”

Zayn shook his head. “She didn't intend to harm anyone. She didn’t know.” Zayn spoke with great difficulty and his face was ashen with sweat. “But I do and I can’t – I won’t let anything happen to you.”


	15. Chapter 15

Agent Rockwell walked into the Centre for Disease Control head office in Atlanta Georgia and was met by Dr. Elliot Huang in the foyer.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.” Agent Rockwell shook Dr. Huang’s hands.

“How was your flight?” Dr. Huang asked.

“Not as quick as I would’ve liked it to be.” Agent Rockwell walked alongside Dr. Huang into the elevator where Dr. Huang pressed 4. The elevator arrived and they stepped inside. On the fourth floor the doors opened to a pristine lab.

“Follow after me,” Dr. Huang said. He approached a locked door where he pressed a code and glanced up at a security camera mounted on the wall. The doors opened and they walked through a lab where scientists dressed in white lab coats, were at work. At the end of the hall they reached another set of doors.

“Security’s tight,” Agent Rockwell commented.

“My lab has a biosafety level 4 which means it’s capable of handling contagions for which there is no treatment.” Dr. Huang leaned forward and his right iris was scanned before the doors opened. “You see these walls? They are made of thick, solid concrete, designed to maintain pressure differentials between the BSL–4 labs and the rest of the building.”

They walked into the lab where they stripped and showered before putting on biohazard suits. Dr. Huang led him into the center of the lab.

“This is where we have preserved the DNA of the last victim, Jacob Grala. It’s the only copy we have of the alien DNA.” Dr. Huang opened the fridge and took out a glass slide and extracted a drop from the tube. He placed the glass slide under one of the microscopes. “Agent Rockwell, please take a look at this.”

Agent Rockwell walked to the microscope and looked into the lens. “What am I seeing?”

“You see those green dots? That’s the foreign pathogen transmitted by the alien vector.”

Agent Rockwell straightened. “And you’re sure that it’s only transmitted via sexual contact?”

“I’d say I’m about 98% certain. All of the 33 victims had sex with Alien Vector XX and the highest levels of infection where in the genitals of the victims.”

“An alien STI?” Agent Rockwell asked.

“Frankly, I don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

“SETI confirmed a UFO landing in Adderley, New Mexico early on Saturday morning and a male was seen a few miles from the site.”

Dr. Huang adjusted his glasses and picked up a pen and clipboard. “Alien Vector XY?”

“Yes.”

“Have there been any victims yet?”

“One suspected victim – male, age twenty-two. He was last seen in a motel outside of Magdalena, New Mexico.”

“Autopsies of all the victims revealed that they had an elevated level of serotonin in their brains. The alien species emits chemicals that makes itself sexually alluring – this kid will have a difficult time resisting the alien if it decides it wants him. Twenty-two? He’ll be the youngest casualty.”

“Have you researched ways we can treat humans who have been exposed?”

“So far our test on Alien Vector XX’s DNA have been inconclusive,” Dr. Huang said. “There’s no cure.”

Agent Rockwell stared down at the microscope. Back in 2009 alien Vector XX had killed 33 people in five days. And now there was another alien on the prowl and they had no idea how to stop the fatal disease the aliens transmitted.


	16. Chapter 16

“Zayn!” Liam shook Zayn’s right shoulder. Zayn didn’t respond. Liam placed two fingers on Zayn’s throat, trying to find a pulse. It was weak – but there was one. He breathed out in relief. A car sped past, thumping electric rock. They couldn’t stay here. A Good Samaritan might stop and ask what the matter was and Liam’s face was plastered all over the news.

Liam unbuckled Zayn’s seat belt. He opened the rear passenger door of the Civic before going back to the front, placing his hands under Zayn’s armpits and dragging him to his feet. He got Zayn into the backseat before leaning to dig around in the trunk. He found a tool box, a stack of old issues of Playboy magazine. There was a thick, tobacco smelling jacket. He pulled it out and used it to cover Zayn. He closed the door and went around the driver’s side.

They were just outside of Quemado and he didn’t know which direction to drive in. If Zayn was human he would take him to the hospital. But Zayn was an alien and Liam was a fugitive. Hospitals were definitely out of the question.

Liam hotwired the car and reversed it and drove back to a 7-Eleven they had driven past. He entered the 7-Eleven’s parking lot and parked in its dimmest corner just to be on the safe side. When he checked the back seat he saw that Zayn’s hair was almost entirely blond. Liam didn’t think Zayn’s hair blonding out was a good thing. Neither was the sallow tone of his skin.

If Liam didn’t get Zayn help soon there was a chance he wouldn’t wake up again. He looked across the car lot and saw an old phone booth. Liam climbed out of the car, putting on a trucker hat he had found in the trunk. He walked across the lot to the phone.

He picked up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a dial tone. He pulled his wallet out of his jeans and fed the quarters into the phone and quickly dialed a number, twisting around so he could keep an eye on the Civic. The phone rang and rang and he feared that no one would pick up. He was about to hang up when he heard a voice answer.

“Hello?”

“Harry?” Liam said. The line went silent and he prayed Harry wouldn’t hang up.

“The police are looking for you.” Harry said.

“I know. It’s a misunderstanding but I can’t really explain right now. I need your help – my friends sick and I can’t take him to the hospital and-” Liam twisted the phone cord around his finger until he felt his circulation cut-off. “I know this is kinda fucked up but I don’t know who else I can turn to. My friend – he’s in a bad way and I think he might die if he doesn’t see a doctor. You’re pre-med. I figured you might be able to help him. _Please_.”

The silence stretched out and he held his breath.

“What are his symptoms?”

“His hair turning blond,” Liam said.

“Is he on any medication?”

“Not that I know of. He’s burning up and he keeps falling asleep.” A computerized voice told Liam that he had one minute left. He spoke quickly. “You’re at the University of Arizona?”

“Yes.”

“We’re maybe four hours away. Harry, my friend – he’s not from around here so - just be prepared for some weirdness.”

He heard Harry sigh. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain when I see you.” Liam said goodbye and hung up. He sprinted across the lot and climbed into the Civic. Zayn was still in the back, in the exact position that Liam had left him.

“Hang on Zayn. I’m going to get you help.” Liam hotwired the car and made a speedy exit out of the lot.


	17. Chapter 17

_It's only love, it's only pain, it's only fear that runs through my veins. It's all the things you can't explain that make us human._

The streetlamps cast weak orange-yellow light over the cars in the 7-Eleven’s parking lot. It was late, and the number of cars driving by had dwindled. Liam glanced at the front of the store; there was a CCTV camera above the sliding glass doors. Liam pulled his hoodie low over his forehead and surveyed his immediate surroundings. Inside the 7-Eleven were a few people shopping. The checkout clerk was a young guy, his shirt was so white it glowed under the florescent lights.

He casually walked up to a Chevrolet Spark and tried the door handle. _Locked_. He went to the next car, a grey Toyota Corolla. It was also locked. If he had the right equipment he could shimmy the door open, but it would be risky. He was out in the open with the threat of a car pulling up at any moment. Liam swore under his breath and ran back to the Civic, climbing in the backseat where Zayn was curled in a fetal position. Zayn didn’t react when Liam lifted his head and placed it onto his lap. Liam pressed the back of his hand gently against Zayn's forehead. It was clammy.

"Liam," Zayn whispered, his eyes remained closed. Liam removed his hand from Zayn’s forehead and felt around for a bottle of water he’d stashed on the floor. Liam twisted the plastic lid off and tilted Zayn’s head up.

“Drink.”

Zayn parted his chapped lips and took a sip. Liam watched Zayn’s throat undulate as he swallowed. Zayn had barely had a mouthful when he shook his head, _enough_.

“Take a little bit more,” Liam said. Fluids and rest, that’s what doctors always prescribed. Liam tilted the bottle up, murmuring encouragements as Zayn drank more water. When Zayn was done, Liam lowered Zayn’s head back onto his lap and closed the water bottle.

"I called my friend who is in med school.” Even in the piss poor streetlamp lighting Liam could see how ashen Zayn’s skin looked. “He's agreed to examine you. But he’s in Arizona and we don’t have enough gas to get there. We need a new car." Four days had passed since they’d stolen the Civic so Liam was certain its owner had reported it missing to the police.

"Your friend can't help me. This planet does…things to us." Zayn’s voice was hoarse. In the yellow light, his eyes glinted wetly. Was he crying? Liam was unsure. “Lylha.”

"The girl who was sent before you?" Liam asked.

"She was…overtaken. The only way is to -" Zayn shook his head and propelled himself away from Liam and reached for the car door handle with clumsy hands.

"You're too sick to go anywhere." Liam wrapped his arms around Zayn's waist and pulled him back down onto the seat.

"I have to leave," Zayn said.

"Once you're better."

"I won't get better." Zayn tore Liam's hands off his body like they burned him. “Stop touching me.”

“Zayn, I don’t understand.” Liam tried to reach for Zayn, stopping when he saw Zayn shrink away from him.

"T-t-toxic."

"What?" Liam asked.

"I'm toxic."

"That’s not true."

"She k-killed them." Zayn’s teeth were chattering, clunking together so harshly the sound made Liam wince. “Humans. Just like you. I’ll do the same. I c-can’t s-s-stop it.”

“Don’t think about that right now.”

“Liam, you don’t know what we’re capable of.”

“You’re not going to convince me that you’re a bad person.”

“I guess humans are as stupid as we’ve always suspected.”

“You would say anything right now to make me walk away. I want you to listen to me carefully.” Liam held Zayn’s gaze. “I won’t leave you on the side of the road while you’re sick. You are obviously too weak to pull that mind control shit on me so you have no alternative but to suck it up and let me help you.”

Zayn’s eyes were impossibly wide as he stared at Liam. He was shivering, his arms wrapped tightly around his sides, leaning against the front seat like a wounded soldier.

“Once, I get to your friend-” Zayn gritted his teeth, it looked like he was fighting the shudders that were racking through his body. “Your debt has been paid. You’ll leave.”

Liam didn’t answer. Instead he pulled Zayn into his arms, burying his face in Zayn’s neck. Zayn smelled like sweat and dust. Liam closed his eyes. He was going to get Zayn to Harry, no matter what.

***

Silver City, New Mexico was perched on the edges of the Gila National Forest. Early settlers had founded the town in the 1800s during a mining rush. It’s most noted son was Billy the Kid. So it was fitting that in this small town, in the wild, Wild West Liam found himself clutching Mr. Weaver’s glock, his face shrouded in a makeshift balaclava, while he stood in a dark alley waiting for someone to carjack.

He felt beads of sweat gathering at his brow. He heard footfall and glanced down the alley. A man was walking down the street, dressed in a disheveled suit. He was obviously drunk and appeared to be having trouble finding his car keys. Liam tightened his hand over the handle to steady the gun. To salve his guilt, Liam told himself he was probably doing the world a favor by parting this drunk with his car. As soon as the man unlocked his Audi A4, Liam jumped him.

“Give me your car keys and wallet!” Liam pressed the gun to the man’s lower spine.

All the drunkenness drained out of him. “Please don’t shoot. I have a family,” he pleaded, “just do what you have to do, no one has to get hurt!” The man blindly tossed his keys and wallet to Liam.

With his heart in his throat, Liam opened the driver’s door and revved the engine, tires squealing as he U-turned and sped down the street. He drove to where he’d left the Civic, parked haphazardly behind it and carried Zayn to the backseat of their new stolen ride.

***

Leaving Silver City, the road flattened out onto a high desert with tall grass and few trees. Liam joined the U.S. Route 180. He tapped the steering wheel, restless. The A4’s gears were much smoother than the Civic, it smelled like pine and its aircon worked. To pass the time he put the radio on. A country song was playing. He changed stations until he heard rock. They drove for over an hour, Liam changing radio stations whenever the music started to suck. Zayn was so quite Liam began to worry that maybe Zayn had slipped into a coma or worse. Liam called Zayn’s name and saw Zayn blink open his eyes in the review mirror.

“Stay with me,” Liam said. “We’ve almost reached Deming.” He was unsure if Zayn could hear him but he continued to speak. “There’s an Amtrak train stop there. I’m going to buy us two tickets headed out of the state then I’ll abandon this car for the cops to find.”

Hopefully that would lead the police down the wrong track. The only problem was he didn’t know if there would be any cars for him to steal at the Deming Amtrak stop. There was also the risk that if they did steal a new car, the owner of the car would report it missing and the people after him and Zayn would know that tickets to New Buffalo were a red herring. This was a problem he would worry about when he got to Deming.

He spent the rest of the drive listening to the radio. He exited the highway and drove to the Deming Amtrak stop where he parked in the long-stay parking lot. He was pleased to see that there was a fleet of cars for him to choose from. He left Zayn in the car and walked inside and purchased two one-way tickets headed to New Buffalo with the Audi A4 owner’s credit card.

He returned to the long-stay parking and used supplies he’d bought from the 7-Elevan to break into a Ford Fiesta. Once he had hotwired the car, he half carried, half dragged Zayn from the A4 to their new wheels. He then put as much distance as he could between them and the scene of the multiple crimes he had just committed.

***

Liam took the Interstate-10. It was risky, there were cameras everywhere on the highway, but it was a risk he would have to take. Just before he reached Tucson he stopped at a gas station and purchased a burner phone.

It was still dark when he pulled up in front of the address Harry had given him. He dialed Harry.

“Hello?”

“It’s me. We’re outside your dorm.”

“I’ll be right down.”

Liam hung up, put the gear in neutral and climbed out of the car, stretching his arms and legs. Soon he heard an electric buzz, the building’s door swung open and Harry came out carrying a medical emergency kit. Liam hugged Harry.

“Where is he?” Harry asked, pulling away from the hug.

“In the backseat.” Liam walked to the front of the building where the stolen car was parked. He opened one of the rear doors and gestured inside the car. Harry took a penlight and handed it to Liam.

“Hold this for me.” Liam took the flashlight, scrabbled into the front and twisted around, holding the penlight over Zayn. Harry crawled into the backseat, lifted Zayn’s head and placed it on his lap. He held his right index and middle finger to his own left wrist and glanced at his wristwatch. After 30 seconds had lapsed Harry spoke.

“His pulse rhythm is irregular.” Harry reached for his medical kit and pulled out a black cuff and wrapped it around Zayn’s arm. “I’m checking his blood pressure.” After a while Harry removed it. “It’s low.” Harry eased Zayn’s left eyelid open and then closed it before doing the same to his other eye. He held the back of his hand on Zayn’s forehead.

“He’s burning up.” Harry glanced at Liam. “What did he take?”

“He didn’t take anything. He’s-” Liam was certain that Zayn wouldn’t want Liam telling people about him, but Harry wasn’t just anyone.

Harry saw his hesitation. “If I don’t know what I’m dealing with I won’t be able to help him.”

“Zayn isn’t human.”

Harry lifted a brow. “Excuse me?”

“This sounds…out there but Zayn’s an alien. He sort of abducted me.” Liam took a deep breath. “I wish he was awake because he could show you.”

“I’m not sure what’s going on but your friend is very sick, Liam.” Harry glanced down at Zayn and stilled. “His hair is falling off.”

“What?” Liam asked. Harry held out wisps of blond hair.

“I need someone else to look at him.” Harry brushed the hair off his hands and reached into his jean pocket, pulling out his cellphone.

“Who’re you calling?” Liam asked.

“A friend.”

“Can we trust them?”

“Yes, we can trust Louis.”

***

“You don’t believe that Zayn’s not human,” Liam said. “It’s okay, I probably wouldn’t believe me either.”

Harry didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He hadn’t heard from Liam in years and then Liam shows up on America’s Most Wanted list on TV and the next day he’s at Harry’s door with a sick boy, whom he claimed was an alien.

Harry kept quiet and looked down at Zayn, whose face contorted in pain as tremors shook his body.

“Shh, it’ll be okay,” Harry said.

“Is he waking up?” Liam glanced at him in the review mirror.

“No.” Harry held his penlight over Zayn and noticed something. He pulled down the front of Zayn’s T-shirt. What the hell? Zayn’s tattoos looked like they were moving. Harry blinked, it had to be a trick of the light. He leaned closer, watching the black ink swirl like a Disney animation picture film. “Liam.”

“What’s wrong?” Liam asked.

“Zayn’s tattoos.”

“What about them?”

“I don’t know how to explain what I’m seeing.” Harry gulped, watching as the ink that ran down Zayn’s sternum morphed shapes. “It’s like his tattoos-”

 _Are alive_. But that was absurd. However there was no other way of explaining what Harry was seeing. There was no scientific reason that could explain this. Least, nothing that he had heard of.

“How much farther to the research building?” Liam hit the gas pedal.

“Just two more blocks.” Harry pulled Zayn’s T-shirt back into place.

Liam raced the last two blocks and soon the car skidded to a stop outside the W. Tim Gerber research building where Louis had said he was working late. Liam killed the car's engine and jumped out. He opened the passenger door and leaned in, carefully placing his hands under Zayn's armpits and drawing him out of the car. He carried Zayn in his arms, gazing down at the other boy with concern.

"Follow me." Harry walked quickly up the stairs of the building. At the door he swiped his student card, holding it ajar so Liam could walk in. He led the way to the research offices at the back where Louis said he would be. Harry heard loud rock music playing and he saw Louis in one of the labs.

"Louis." Harry called out. Louis looked up from the microscope he was peering into, his eyes flittering from Harry to Liam to Zayn.

"Hello," Louis walked around the lab, pulling off latex gloves and raising a remote to switch off the music. He appraised Liam and Zayn. "Who are you?”

“This is Zayn and Liam. I messaged you that we were on our way here,” Harry said.

“I’ve been busy. The mobile is distracting.” Louis rummaged for his phone and read the messages Harry had sent him.

“Where can I place him?” Liam hoisted Zayn up in his arms.

"On the bed there." Louis pointed to a hospital bed in the corner of the room. "What are his symptoms?"

"Liam says that Zayn was complaining about a lack of appetite and he fainted yesterday. Since then he's been in and out of consciousness. His hair has been fading color and recently it started falling off. And-" Harry crossed his arms and chose his words carefully. “The tattoos on his skin are…moving."

Louis raised a brow. "Moving how?"

"Altering shape," Harry said. “Liam has reasons to believe that Zayn’s not human.”

“What do you mean ‘not human’?” Louis asked.

“He’s from a different planet,” Liam said.

Louis walked to a table and pulled on a fresh pair of scrubs before approaching the bed Zayn was lying on. He pulled out a statoscope and placed it on Zayn's chest. He listened before he took it off and shined a light into Zayn's eyes. "That's interesting."

"What?" Harry and Liam asked simultaneously.

"He has coloboma of the eye," Louis said.

“I didn’t see any signs of ocular coloboma.” Harry stepped beside Louis and peered at Zayn. “His eyes were normal earlier.”

“They get that way sometimes.” Harry and Louis looked up to find Liam standing at the foot of the bed. “When he starts to change,” Liam said.

Louis glanced at Zayn then back and Liam. “Say I believe you about the whole ET thing. What does Zayn change into?” Louis stepped back from the bed.

Liam wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. He didn’t answer.

Harry walked to a supply cupboard pulling out empty vials, needles and a syringe. “We’re wasting time, Zayn’s condition is critical.”

"You're taking his blood?" Liam asked.

"I want to run a toxicology screen." Harry found a pair of latex gloves and put them on.

"Zayn’s blood won’t be normal, you mustn’t let it leave the lab," Liam said.

“It won’t, I’m testing it here.” Harry sidestepped Liam and walked to Zayn, lifting Zayn’s left arm, he sanitized the skin on Zayn’s inner elbow.

“Harry, are you sure you want to do that?” Louis asked. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”

“He needs our help,” Harry pierced Zayn’s skin with a needle and filled the two vials with blood before removing the needle from Zayn’s skin. Harry immediately covered Zayn’s skin with white cotton, to stem the bleeding. After a few seconds he lifted the cotton.

“What the hell?" Harry said.

“What’s wrong?” Liam asked.

"The needle puncture’s gone." Harry stared down at Zayn's arm. "He just healed himself."

***

Liam watched Harry and his British friend gape at Zayn. As much as he got that seeing someone heal themselves was weird he didn't want them to lose focus on the issue at hand. Zayn was sick, possibly dying.

"Can you help him?" Liam asked.

"We’re not even qualified doctors yet." Louis adjusted his glasses and continued to stare at Zayn. "Did Zayn tell you anything when he fell ill?"

"He said they’d sent a female of his kind to Earth. Before. She also got sick and -” Liam didn’t want to scare Harry and Louis. If they knew what Zayn had said about Lylha poisoning humans, they would be less inclined to help him. There wasn’t anywhere else for them to go.

“And what?” Louis coaxed impatiently.

“She couldn’t complete the mission and returned to their planet.” It wasn’t a complete lie.

Harry placed the vials of blood in a machine and clicked a few buttons. "The test results will be ready in a few hours."

“What do we do until then?” Liam asked.

“We wait.”


	18. Chapter 18

Agent Rockwell drove up outside the Gila National Forest cabin. The main CDC team was already there, looking like lost astronauts in their orange biohazard suits. He parked his car and reached for his smokes, shaking one out and lighting it as he waited for the all clear. He was getting tired of this, finding a place that his green man had already vacated hours back. He was playing catch-up, always behind. Dana Ripley knocked on the window of his SUV, Rockwell rolled them down.

"Did you find anything?” he asked.

“I think you’d like to see this in person,” Ripley said. “But you’ll need a hazard suit.”

Agent Rockwell dressed quickly into the suit before he followed Ripley to the cabin’s front entrance. Red hazard tape sealed the door, Ripley lifted it up and walked under it.

“We sprayed the place down with luminol. There was nothing in the bedroom, or at least, nothing recent,” Ripley said. “The bathroom was a different story."

"What did you find?" Agent Rockwell asked.

"The mother load, if you’ll excuse the bad pun.” Ripley pushed the bathroom door open and walked in, gesturing to floor beneath the sink.

Agent Rockwell crouched by the sink, looking the lit up stains on the porcelain basin and floors. “Blood splatter?”

“No, semen with a foreign DNA code.” She gave him a significant look. “Alien spunk.”

“Did you find traces of Payne’s DNA?”

“No.”

“The alien was masturbating?”

“That’s the working theory. It was standing here,” she moved in front of the mirror. “When it ejaculated, the semen splattered onto the sink and floor. The samples have already been sent to the lab with strict biohazard warnings.”

Agent Rockwell stood. “Has Dr. Huang been called?”

“Yes, he’s taking the next flight in—”

“I need to speak to him as soon as he lands.”

***

The situation wasn’t ideal. The facility was an abandoned wing of a functioning hospital but time being of the essence, they couldn’t fly to Georgia and have the specimen examined in a Level 5 Lab. Dr. Huang was already at work, dressed head to toe in a biohazard suit.

Agent Rockwell could really use a cigarette. Dr. Huang’s second in charge, Dr. Omara, had stated that the results could be ready at any moment, he didn’t want to risk being outside sucking on a cancer stick when they came out. One of the machines beeped and a page was spat out of the printer. Dr. Omara reached for the paper and read through it quickly. She blinked, read it again.

“What does it say?” Agent Rockwell asked.

“Excuse me.” She walked to one of the lab assistants, speaking quickly. Agent Rockwell stepped closer, trying to hear. He couldn’t distinguish any words. She straightened and turned, almost running into him.

“What do the test results say?” he repeated.

“We’re still deciphering them.” Dr. Omara sidestepped him. He grabbed her left wrist, the one holding the page.

“Show me.” Agent Rockwell tightened the grip he had on her wrist, watching as it bent backwards. The broad was tough, he would give her that. Dr. Omara let go of the page, Agent Rockwell released her wrist and caught the falling paper. He zeroed in on the text, finding numbers, DNA codes and scientific terms that meant fuck-all to him.

“Give me back that page and save me the trouble of printing another.” Dr. Omara waited. Agent Rockwell handed her the page and she walked to the wall of the containment room and rapped her knuckles against the window. When Dr. Huang looked up from the microscope, she held the page to the glass panel and made a thumbs down sign.


	19. Chapter 19

_They say ‘be afraid’. You’re not like the others, futuristic lover. Different DNA, they don’t understand you._

While the test was being run, Harry read through medical journals that might be of assistance in one of the professor’s office. He heard the door creak open and he saw Louis walk in, sipping on a juice box. Louis plunked himself on the desk opposite to Harry.

“Your mate’s lying to us,” Louis said with no preamble.

“Excuse me?”

“Liam knows more than he’s letting on. I could see it on his face.”

“Liam wouldn’t keep something that could help Zayn from us.” Harry closed the medical journal and rubbed his eyes.

“He knows something. And whatever it is, it’s big.” Louis stood. “You must tell him to come clean.”

“Maybe he wouldn’t have felt the need to lie if you hadn’t freaked out.”

“I didn’t freak out,” Louis said.

Harry gave him an ‘oh really’ look.

“Okay, I freaked out. Do you know how big this is? This is splitting an atom big. Neil Armstrong walking on the moon big. We have undeniable proof that there is life on other planets. Talk to Liam.” Louis walked out of the office.

***

The first thing Zayn was aware of was that he was cold. The next was the sounds around him. Electrical beeping and the hum of machines. For a second he thought he was on the ship, that he had never landed on Earth and met Liam, abducting him and going on the run, had all been a dream. He blinked his eyes open and saw Liam sleeping on a chair beside the bed.

Zayn tried to reach for Liam but found his movements restricted by an IV drip feeding clear fluid into his veins. There was a clip on his finger, some kind of human technology. Where was he? He didn’t know. But Liam was with him in this place, so wherever it was, it couldn't be all bad. Zayn shifted on the bed, trying to sit up.

"Careful, Zayn." An unfamiliar male voice said. Zayn turned his head and spotted the male who was seated in chair on the other side of the room. "Don't exert yourself."

"Where am I?" His voice was hoarse.

"You’re at a medical research lab at the University of Arizona. Liam brought you here to get help." The male stood and examined Zayn’s face. "Your eyes.” The male shook his head. “You responded well to the medication we gave you. For a second it wasn't looking good."

"Liam brought me here?" As he spoke he glanced to the left side of the bed where Liam was asleep, breathing deeply.

"He wouldn't leave your side. I’m Harry, by the way.” The male held out his hand. Zayn stared at it. Harry laughed self-consciously and withdrew his hand.

"Look, Harry. We don't have much time before I'll need to -" Zayn dry heaved. His stomach must have been empty, otherwise he would have vomited all over the blue blankets. "I need to leave."

"To go where?" Harry asked.

"Soon it’ll be dangerous for Liam to be around me."

The male frowned. “Why do you say that?”

Zayn tuned into the male’s frequency. _Louis was right, they’re keeping something from us._

“My species, we-” Zayn checked on Liam who was still asleep, thankfully. He didn’t want Liam to hear this. “When we’re on Earth a latent gene within us is awoken and it can kill us unless we…” there was no delicate way of saying this, “copulate with humans.”

"What happens to the humans you sleep with?" Harry asked

"They die," Zayn said. Harry glanced at Liam. “He’s safe, he and I haven’t - But in a few hours, I won't be able to control myself."

"Is there any other alternative?"

"I have to have sex or I will die. But if I do the human I'm with will die. That's the only way there is." Zayn sat up on the bed and pulled the IV drip from his inner elbow. He glanced down at his abdomen and yanked the clip off his finger.

"Wait, Zayn." The machines began to beep and another human male ran into the lab coming to a halt when he saw Zayn climbing off the bed.

"You're awake." The male stared at Zayn.

"This is Louis - he's helping with your treatment," Harry said.

"How are you feeling?" Louis asked.

"Why is Liam not waking up?" Zayn asked.

"I gave him a sedative," Harry said. "He told me that he hadn't had a good night’s sleep since Thursday night."

Zayn got off the bed and walked to the chair Liam was sleeping in. He placed a hand on Liam's cheek.

"He'll be alright, don't worry," Louis said.

Zayn felt a sharp pain shoot in his temple and groaned when the contact between him and Liam's bodies ended. " _Please_."

"What just happened?" Louis asked.

Zayn’s heart rate was up and his vision blurred red. “I have to leave."

Just as if someone had turned on a television set Zayn could suddenly read everyone in the room. Harry was terrified, one hand on the cellphone in his pocket as he thought about calling 911. Louis was thinking that this was a scientific discovery of a lifetime. Life on other planets existed. It was remarkable. If he could only get Zayn’s consent he could base his PhD research paper on - Zayn tuned him out and limped towards the window, focusing on the world outside this building. A few miles from the building there was a teenage male prostitute working a street corner. If Zayn used his speed he could be at the male's side in seconds. He was gathering his strength to leave when Liam’s eyes fluttered open.

“Zayn?” Liam said groggily.

“You said you would leave once I received medical treatment.” Zayn couldn’t look at Liam.

“You weren’t getting better.”

“I’m going to go now.” But Zayn was frozen in place, his weak grasp on the rentboy’s subconscious slipping away. He couldn’t make himself leave. It was like his body was tethered to Liam.

“Zayn, your eyes-” Liam voice was coming far away.

Zayn blinked away the blood soaked lens he was viewing the world behind. “I’m sorry, I know it frightens you to see me like this.”

“It used to, before. But now I know you.” Liam was trying to get Zayn to look at him, but Zayn wouldn’t.

“Speak to your friend Harry. I told him the truth about me.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s in the next room. If you still want to talk to me afterwards, I’ll be here.”

 

***

Liam walked into the next room and found Harry typing on his computer. “What did Zayn say?”

Harry wrote down notes in the journal before he closed the laptop screen. “Liam, sit down.”

“No.”

Harry looked up at Liam. “The test results came back.” Liam’s legs felt weak, he sat down on the chair opposite Harry.

“And?” Liam asked.

“They’re not good.”

“Don’t handle me, Harry. Just tell me.”

“Zayn’s dying.”

“What?” Liam was sure he had misheard. Zayn looked better.

“His system is failing, it’s nothing Louis and I have seen before. When he woke up he spoke to me.” Harry broke eye contact. “Zayn believes that the only treatment is for him to have sex with someone.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I. This is unchartered territory we’re on but he was quite adamant that sexual intercourse was the only way for him to-”

“I’ll do it,” Liam said.

Harry looked up Liam, his eyes serious. “He also told me that the human he has sex with would die.”

Liam stared at Harry, shell-shocked. He remembered Zayn a day earlier, begging Liam to throw him away like garbage on the side of the street. When he’d said that Lylha had killed humans, is this what he had meant?

“I’ll still do it,” Liam said, his voice strong and decisive.

“Didn’t you hear what I said?”

“If I don’t _he’ll_ die.” Liam couldn’t allow that. Zayn had a mission to complete and Liam had been going nowhere slowly for years.

“You’re in love with him.” Harry stated.

“Is there a place where he and I could go?”

Harry gave him a sad smile. “Like a honeymoon suite?”

“Anywhere but a hospital bed.”

“Liam, think this through.” Harry stood and walked around the table, he reached for Liam’s arm. Liam shook Harry’s hand off.

“If it was the other way around, I’m sure he would do the same for me.”

“How can you be so sure? You’ve only known him for four days.”

“I just know.”

Harry sighed and looked away. Liam had a feeling he wouldn’t like the next thing that came out of his mouth.

“Have you considered that your judgment has been impaired by the pheromones he releases?”

“I know what I’m feeling, Harry. I’m not under the influence of anything. I want to help Zayn because I care for him.”

Louis walked in who took one look at them and said, “Harry told you the news.”

“He wants to have sex with Zayn,” Harry said.

“Not a good plan, mate.” Louis said. “Zayn told us himself what sexual intercourse with his species does to humans.”

“I’m not going to let him die.” Liam said. “And I won’t allow some innocent bystander to die either.”

Harry had his head slightly tilted to the side. “Say that we allowed Liam to go through with this, is there any way we could set him up so he could survive? Like an inoculation.”

Louis took the clipboard from him. “We don’t even have names for some of the trace elements in Zayn’s DNA – how can we inoculate Liam?”

“I don’t know. There’s got to be something,” Harry said. Louis adjusted his glasses and paged through the papers on the clipboard.

“I can’t allow you to go through with it,” Zayn said, walking into the room.

“Liam, you’ll die if you have sex with me.”

“I think Harry and I will wait outside.” Louis and Harry hurried out of the room, closing the door.

“Let me help you.” Liam pleaded. “You have a job to do.”

“Maybe I wasn’t supposed to complete my mission,” Zayn said. “I won’t allow you to commit suicide.”

“It won’t be suicide.”

“How is your offer to have sex with me while fully aware that you will _die_ not suicide?”

“It’s a sacrifice. I believe in you, Zayn.”

Zayn closed his eyes and spoke quickly. “I can’t fill you with my poison. Lylha described those humans’ deaths to me. They were slow and painful. I can’t do that to you, Liam. Please don’t make me.”

Liam felt himself tear up. “You said I called out to you, when you landed. You said you were drawn to me like a magnet. Maybe it was for a reason.”

“I refuse to accept there’s a force in any galaxy that would allow me to bring you harm.” Zayn shook his head.

“Let me do this for you.” Liam swallowed thickly. He didn’t have anything to go back to in Adderley. His sisters had their own lives, his mom was in prison and his father was a stranger. Maybe this would be his only chance to live a life with meaning.

“Let me speak to Harry and Louis first,” Zayn said. “They’re in the next room arguing.”

“You got your abilities back?” Liam asked.

“They come and go.” Zayn looked at Liam. “Just stay here.” Liam nodded once and watched Zayn leave the rom.

***

“This could be a breakthrough for science as we know it, Harry,” Louis said. “We could win a Noble Prize.”

“Liam and Zayn aren’t guinea pigs.” Harry said sternly. There were some lines he wouldn’t cross in the name of science.

“If we stand by idle, someone will die,” Louis said. “Will it be Zayn? Liam? Or some other unlucky soul who crosses paths with Zayn?”

“Just let me think for a second.” Harry sat down at the desk, staring at Zayn’s blood work results “Zayn might be a reservoir, a host that carries the virus but rarely gets sick from it but who can spread the virus through contact with others. Or, in this case, from extraterrestrial to human.”

“But Zayn _is_ sick. You saw the test results; his internal organs are messed up. He’s living on borrowed time.”

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, Louis was right. If Zayn was a carrier, he wouldn’t feel the effects of the disease. This was something else entirely.

“Maybe Zayn expels it during sex.” Louis tilted his head to the side. “Sort of like _It Follows_.”

“What follows?”

“The horror film, It Follows?” Louis looked at Harry like any of what he was saying was supposed to make sense. “This bird goes on a date with some bloke, has sex with him. Next thing he’s telling her she just contracted some lethal supernatural STI that she can only escape by having sex with someone else thereby passing it on. No bells ringing?”

Harry shook his head.

“Zayn could be passing a parasite to Liam. That would explain his return to good health post intercourse.”

Harry stared at the screen at the whirling digital recreation of Zayn’s alien DNA. “An intergalactic sex parasite, that’s what you’re going with? Really?”

Louis took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes before he pulled up a chair and sat beside Harry, looking at the animation. “Fuck, this shit is too weird.”

Harry was about to answer when there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” he called. Zayn walked in. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“Liam and I spoke,” Zayn said.

“And?” Harry asked.

“I appreciate your help,” Zayn said. “But we’ll take it from here.”

“You can’t just give up,” Louis said. “Harry, tell him.”

Harry shrugged. “It’s their decision to make.”

“I won’t be complacent in murder.”

“It’s not murder if Liam is willing,” Harry said.

Louis stalked out, bumping his shoulder roughly against Zayn who looked like he was barely holding it together. The room was quiet for a moment.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Harry asked.

“I never wanted any of this to happen.”

“I know.”

“But he won’t let go.”

“Yeah, Liam can be pigheaded.” Harry reached into his jean pocket and pulled out his keys. “Take my car, there’s a route saved on the GPS called home. It will guide you somewhere safe. This key will open the door. I’ll text you the security code.”

Zayn took the keys.

***

“How much further until we get there?” Zayn asked.

Liam glanced at the muted navigator on the dashboard. “A few more minutes.” He glanced at Zayn. “Can you hold on until then?”

Zayn rolled the window down and breathed in the fresh air. He closed his eyes trying to ignore the trickle of shame he felt.

“Yeah,” Zayn wished that Liam could read his mind and know how scared he was.

“Are you sure?”

_No._ “Are _you_ sure about this?”

“Yes.”

Zayn opened his eyes and studied Liam. Like an avalanche, Liam radio switched on and Zayn was inundated with Liam’s thoughts. Liam was thinking that he was certain that Zayn wouldn’t hurt him. His heartbeat was strong, normal, unfaltering. Liam’s strength gave Zayn strength.

Soon they were pulling up outside of a two story house. Liam peered up at it through the windscreen before he switched the engine off.

“We’ve arrived.” Liam climbed out of the car and Zayn followed him. Liam ran around the car, his hand hovering under Zayn’s elbow.

“I’m feeling better.” Zayn stepped away from Liam and watched Liam unlock the front door. The place belonged to Harry’s parents who were vacationing in Europe. Zayn walked into the house after Liam, watching as he typed in the security passcode and switch on the lights. Liam turned and faced Zayn.

“How do you want to do this?” Liam asked.

“Take off your clothes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> Song Lyrics in Part 1 (Ch 1 - 7);
> 
> “So you came like a missile, falling on my head with the black sky. Think you're giving but you're taking my life away.” – Missile by IAMX
> 
> “Crossed through the universe to get where you are, travel the night riding on a shooting star.” – Alien by Britney Spears
> 
> “Like the drunk you convinced was sober, you keep me falling over (in the daylight). Think you're giving but you're taking my life away.” - Missile by IAMX
> 
> “Alone in a crowd, a missing planet. You crash to the ground, you never planned that. It just happened this way. It happened this way.” – The End Is Where We Begin by Our Lady Peace
> 
> “I could read your thoughts, tell you what you saw and never say a word.” – Shadow on the Sun by Audioslave
> 
> “I’m the rainbow in your jail cell. All the memories of everything you’ve ever smelled. Not alone, I’ll be there. Tell me when you want to go.” – Don’t Forget Me by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers
> 
> “Shapes of every size move behind my eyes. Doors inside my head bolted from within.” – Shadow on the Sun by Audioslave
> 
> Song Lyrics in Part 2 (Ch 8 – 16);  
> “God, tell us the reason youth is wasted on the young. It's hunting season and the lambs are on the run, searching for meaning.” – Lost Stars by Adam Levine
> 
> “Let's play the metal music slow, leave the car on the highway and go. Nobody needs to know another universe.” – Another Universe by Arno Carstens
> 
> “You think I'd leave your side, baby. You know me better than that. You think, I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees. I wouldn't do that.” – By Your Side by Sade
> 
> Song Lyrics in Part 3 (Ch 17 – 19);  
> “It's only love, it's only pain, it's only fear that runs through my veins. It's all the things you can't explain that make us human.” – Human by Civil Twilight
> 
> “They say ‘be afraid’. You’re not like the others, futuristic lover. Different DNA, they don’t understand you.” – ET by Katy Perry


End file.
